Sunday, February 03, 2013

Memories In Time And Place~


This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 36; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "and then there were none"




Chasing Sunlight, the tendrils 
from luscious bougainvilleas
envelop my drab, heedless mind--
asleep in ambiguous undertones.
The pulsating colors melt, and spatter
  hues of wonder-years like sheets...
 The veering-visuals of 
'a balloon-man, 
my mother’s lacy, damask serviettes,
hanging baskets of petunias and fuchsias,
thunder and clouds burst,
little daisies in my frock and me chasing
 and running after butterflies.... bare feet…'
Oh, 'the gifts' of spent years 
hopscotch back and forth
comfort us...fly to a figment island once again.
Memories cannot wait, last long,
Musings, come one after another
 like silent tributaries, and they meet wildly
Before you hatch a plot to seal them, they slip;
leaving you wondering where they went…

During these aimless wanderings, one day
I tried to race my thoughts consciously, 
to match quips ‘….and then there were none’
Conscious cognition of memory can never be unwound
there's something serpentine about them
something you might just come across only as a dream.. 
somewhere, sometime--- they set up links!


The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: BLOGGER NAME, Participation Count: 08
Also written for 3ww-cccxiv.
Also shared with Poet's United-135

A very quick one for the sake of participation in BAT. The last blog's replies are due. Totally tied up with a wedding in the family. I'll be back in a day or two. Thanks to all my precious readers :) 


85 comments:

  1. Ah! weddings are bound to bring back memories...once clad, in frocks, then sarees and then finally having the newlyweds touch your feet!! :) THey go nowehere PanchaliDi...and then there were none as all were fused into one...a place called the heart... :)

    Novel...

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    1. Akila...I am glad you could relate to this... thank you for your words and for the visit... :))

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    1. Too cramped with events..., I thought:) Thanks Indrani..

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  3. Panchali, I really enjoyed this. Several things struck me. Liked "'the gifts' of spent years hoptscotch back and forth, comfort us." So true, and hopscotching is a terrfic word to use to express that.

    Enjoyed the idea that memories come when they will "like silent tributaries" (again perfect word) and cannot be sealed, as they will again slip away. As I reflect on that, I think perhaps the only way we can 'seal' them is if we write them, as you did here!

    Just beautiful...and perhaps even moreso to those, like me, who have reached a certain age.

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    1. Mary... I am thrilled by your words...:)))You read it so well!!
      I am more pleased than I can tell you that this resonated with you...It is MOST gratifying to win a pat on the back from an accomplished poet like you!You made me happy. Thank you for the encouragement.

      Well, I guess, we are just about the same age!:)))

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  4. I must confess I looked up a few words online :P But a beautiful prose.. the message delivered quite well... and have fun in the marriage...

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    1. Rinaya...The function is over and I can rest. Now I have to set reading schedule to catch up on reading blogs..
      I really appreciate your feedback. I am sure you will continue to grace my pages again! Thanks for coming by...

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  5. You captures something here so illusive and true. These memories that go at will but don't always come at our bidding. Beautiful flower, picture, poem.

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    1. Judy..Wow! You've made my day! Good to see you here... Thanks for coming by and for the appreciation... :)))

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  6. Lovely flow of words and memories. I wish we could spin them at will, but sometimes a little stroke of familiarity and they come gushing throwing us in their currents. A twitch in heart, a lone tear in eyes and a wide smile on lips, so many emotions strung together. Beautiful!

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    1. Meenakshi! Great...! About time you wrote something too...your comment itself is so beautiful :))))))
      To have a reader like you is surely a blessing...you read it so well:)) Thanks re..xoxo

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  7. So many visual images here. Lot of color and texture. Lovely.

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    1. Kim...Thank you for your encouraging words. I appreciate them:))
      Thanks for coming by..

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  8. this poem is such a romantic one... reminds me of other naturalist poets like wordsworth and the lot, beautiful indeed.

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    1. Welcome, Saro! It was just a compilation of thoughts...but,the one word that jumped out at me from your comment is... 'Shakespeare'. And let me use his quote in reply--".. methinks she's too low for a high
      praise, too brown for a fair praise and too little
      for a great praise..." LOL..
      Nevertheless, you've given me hope... that's what keeps us wanting to move forward.. isn't it..? Thanks for the appreciation... it means much to me...:)) Do visit again.

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  9. Hello Panchali Mam, I really don't understand English poetry, but as Nicholas Sparks has said, "Poetry was't written to be analysed ;it is meant to inspire without reason, to touch without understanding." I enjoyed reading it. (and also finding some new words for my vocab :) )

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    1. Ayushi...You have hit the nail on the head with your characteristic accuracy. As they say, eyes provide you with sight, but it's your heart that gives you the insight:)))))
      Am thrilled that you enjoyed...it means sooo much!
      thank you!

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  10. Love all the colors and blooms in this poem, and the look back to childhood, always poignant. Enjoy the wedding gathering - how joyous!

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    1. Sherry, Thank you... you've made my day...:)))) To win compliments from those you respect is the biggest high in the world... :))
      Thankfully the wedding is over and I can sit back and relax now :)) Phew...

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  11. lots of easily identifiable shared memories.loved it.

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    1. Abin, Thanks for the pat on the back. I am delighted..! :)))

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  12. Very sweet and I really enjoyed the images you painted with words.

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    1. rch, Your words of praise humble me.. yet fill me with pleasure.. :))) Thanks a lot!

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  13. Beautiful memories..Lovely poem..:-)

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    1. Nagini, I am glad you could connect...thanks a bunch:))

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  14. Great flow, Panchali!
    All the best:)

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    1. Thanks for coming by and for the appreciation, Amit... :)))

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  15. Ma'am, once again you've woven a tapestry of words that brings now a smile, now a tear, now a wistful memory, now a prayer. A whole range of thoughts and emotions inspired by delicately beautiful notes that sound like music and look like a meadow of flowers.

    Truly wonderful!

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    1. Mixi...WOW...to win that kind of compliment from you has made my day... I wait eagerly for you to comment... thanks re...:))

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  16. Beautiful lines as always ma'am, memories is something we all want to hold on to but they come and go at their own will, such a wonderful thought! Loved your take on the theme :)

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    1. Arti..I love to read your blogs and comments...:))
      I am thrilled with your words of praise.. thanks a bunch!

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  17. Heh. I can hear a little girl giggling as I read "my mother’s lacy, damask serviettes,
    hanging baskets of petunias and fuchsias,
    thunder and clouds burst,
    little daisies in my frock and me chasing
    and running after butterflies.... bare feet…'". I liked the metaphor you used to describe memories.. silent tributaries, I get. How about serpentine..why do you describe them as serpentine?

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    1. Chhavi...Thanks for the visit.. and for sharing your insightful thought... :) Now, let me answer your question. Let me confess that this space, is a playground of my mind.And I believe,memories are not stored in our brains like books on shelves, they are more or less distributed in brain maze like a jigsaw puzzle. While recalling, we tend to get lost in the maze and the complex design most often leaves us running in circles... through the serpentine/winding/twisting lanes....perhaps one person's horror is another person's poetry.Smiles.

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  18. Panchali Mam.. always a great pleasure reading your poems..

    beautiful one yet again..

    Conscious cognition of memory can never be unwound
    there's something serpentine about them..

    So true..

    Keep writing mam..

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    1. Deepak, I am thrilled with your words of praise.. thanks so much:))

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  19. like always Panchali

    wanted to copy paste the whole thing

    lovely

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    1. Dear Rajni....you've a wonderful heart. Thanks for the encouragement:)

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  20. Nice ! That's a lovely post.
    I have nominated your blog for the Libester Blog award friend, kinldy take a look at the link below :
    http://thankgodforlife.blogspot.in/2013/02/liebster-awards-thanks-jahid-neo.html

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    1. Tanya..thank you on the nomination of the Liebster Award and loved that you enjoyed the post.
      Thanks for coming by... its a pleasure to see you here always... :)))

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  21. Panchali, you are a great wordsmith. You weave your thoughts in words very well.

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    1. Your words of praise humble me.. yet fill me with pleasure, Dilip.. :)))
      Thanks a lot for stopping by.... Hope to see you more on these pages...

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  22. I have so much to learn from you.. I only understood half of the words.. forget about the lines.. your vocabulary is amazing.. you sure can play around with words... Someday if I am even half there like you, I would be proud. You sure are on a hat-trick ;)

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    1. Karan... This response can also be intended as a negative comment. But, hopefully it's all good!There's nothing as pleasurable and as satisfying as self awakening and self realization...:P
      Well, I'm still trying to figure out which level do I stand at :-)hahaha..
      Thanks a bunch!

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    2. nah.. it is not even remotely near to being a negative comment.. for me you are an artist mam..

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    3. Karan...Oh, I am relieved!!! See... me smiling now:)Thanks a ton:)

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  23. Beautiful, as always Ma'am. As few people have stated here, I also had to look up the meaning of some of the words, but it was worth it. Hope you enjoyed the wedding. And all the best for the contest. :)

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    1. Akshay, Thank you for your uplifting words. To tell you the truth, I am still experimenting and learning; wrestling with new words give me thrill...and thankfully they've been working in tandem with the chatter of my blogs :)))
      Yes, I had a great time..and am glad that it's over.
      Thanks for the pat on the back. I am delighted..! :)))

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  24. I always learn some new words whenever I read your poems.

    "Memories cannot wait, last long,
    Musings, come one after another
    like silent tributaries, and they meet wildly
    Before you hatch a plot to seal them, they slip;
    leaving you wondering where they went…"

    Awesome lines!!

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    1. Valli...Thanks for the visit and the kudos... :))) I am delighted!!

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  25. Panchali you leave me speechless,how well you describe what we so often experience.The days gone by come back to us out of nowhere & leave us pining for the old times.Beautiful poem,all the best!

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    1. awww...You sensitivity makes you a very valuable friend, Indu.Thanks for the appreciation... it means much to me:))

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  26. Road Panchali!!!
    It's amazing how many of you can learn ..
    I am happy to know you ...
    I wish I had virtually.
    I send greetings.
    Lucia

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    1. Dear Lucia,
      You comment has pleased me immensely... :)))Thanks a ton!
      Hugzzz

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  27. Nostalgia is a seductive mistress. It's so tough to let go of her :-)

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    1. Ah! Spoken like a true woman...! Lol.... it’s the devil we carry with us...:))
      So happy to see you here... thanks!

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  28. i miss my schooldays :( :( !! the write was supercool as always overflowing wid emotions :) !!all d bst for BAT nd njy d wedding parties :)

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    1. Saikat.....all of us miss our school-days! I am so pleased you liked it. Thanks a bunch... :)))

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  29. Hey guys,
    Wanted to share some stuff with you. I used Vistaprint for some embroidered t-shirts with logo. Damn impressed. Check it out if you can.

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    1. Mighty pleased to see you advertising here... :)))

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  30. Well-penned.

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  31. "Memories are a treasure no one can steal "..You stole my heart by sharing your precious treasure with us through your words...Wonderful poem..All the best for BAT

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    1. This is an awesome compliment, Odyzz... Cloud nine is a dizzy place to be, isn't it...?! :D:D
      Thank you, sweetie. You are precious♥

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  32. as i always say the word play is absolutely stunning ! i felt nostalgic while reading it . the lines are so emotive ! beautiful creation ma'm :)

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    1. Awww...To win this kind of compliment from you has made my day, Maliny... thank you so so much...:))

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  33. Not "cramped with events" Panchali ji. This is profound.

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    1. Vaishali...Readers like you indeed is a blessing. I have a few more.. and they are enough to make me love my job...:))
      Thanks a ton :))

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  34. Very beautifully plotted and given illustrous words to them.
    All the best .

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    1. Your words of praise humble me, Maun. Thank you... for the visit and for the kudos... :)))

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  35. this much command over words stems from experience and passion for writing, i must confess i have visited a few times and enthralled every time this is the first ive got time to appreciate it properly..:)

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    1. chips from a life..Your comment has delighted me completely...:))) Thank you for the time and kind words of encouragement..means so much!!! Do visit again, please.

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    1. Thanks for your endorsement, deepak...:)Am delighted...

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  37. Ah! Those wonderful days of admiring flowers and dreaming, of chasing butterflies and hopscotch and most importantly, of innocence and fun...:)

    Beautiful poem. :)

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    1. Saru..thank you so much for your kind words. Coming from you, it means a LOT!:)))

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  38. Fantastic baseline - I think most of us, especially those who enjoy writing would be able to relate with what you've illustrated through your words - a mirage of thoughts!

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    1. Wow...Richi, You've put my head high on the sky :D Thanks a bunch!:)

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  39. Your are a great player of words!!! Kudos for posting such a beautiful poem.

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    1. Thanks a lot fo your kudos, Viva_andya:)

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  40. The more I read your posts,the more elated I feel that I have such a talented friend. You are Superb, to say the least. Words like
    Memories cannot wait, last long,
    Musings, come one after another
    like silent tributaries
    can flow out only from your pen!!

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