An apology poem — Response to a prompt — I read Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles’ “Apology Poem” which is a response to Sheri Jacobs’ prompt — a take on Carlos William Carlos’ poem: This Is Just To Say. I don’t usually write poetry. But Carlos’ poem and the responses to the prompt were so entertaining, I was inspired to…

September Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shadows” — The shadow that shades my herbs. In my backyard is a small herb garden where I grow oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint, and curry leaf. (No Indian garden is complete without curry leaf.) The herb bed borders the back wall of my garage. At the height of the afternoon, when the sun is at its fiercest, the…

How long can I hold out? — This is the story of CAP the Cat. I call her C-A-P, which is short for “Cat Among Pigeons.” Cap visits my garden every day in the hope of nabbing a bird at one of my feeders. She hasn’t succeeded. As yet. In the photo below, she was eyeing a…

A Six-Word Photo Story: Freestyle —

A reflection on memories and chronology — Someone once asked my mother-in-law what it felt like to be 67. She replied, “Inside… I never feel older than 26.” Why “26?” I don’t know. As for me, I felt all of seven last week when I bought ice cream from the ice cream truck. …

Growing young with memories of an ice cream truck — As a kid growing up in India, I was crazy about Archie comics. In my defense, I inherited the madness from my dad. And then… I passed on the Archie fever to my daughters.

Spiced with cumin and flavored with fresh herbs — Growing up in India, “Mattha” was a favorite summer beverage. Mattha is, essentially, spiced buttermilk. It is a mix of yogurt, water, fresh herbs — and sometimes, a smidgen of spice. Mattha in Mumbai — You walked in from the pitiless sun, insides broiling, every cell in your body raging with thirst. Head pounding…

Six Word Photo Story: Freestyle — Sharing Dinner Plates and Mango Cake. The flower in the above photo is a “Dinner Plate Hibiscus” — a moniker earned for its circular shape and size ranging from 7"–9". (The above bloom boasts a 9" diameter.) Hibiscus used to be a dependable perennial in my gardening zone. Hard freezes or not, the plant rose phoenix-like…

And sometimes Sublime mornings — I was putting out the garbage by the curb when a middle-aged woman stopped by. “Hi!” she said. “I’m your neighbor from the house behind yours.” “The one with the dogs?” “Yeah, that’s the one.” This neighbor has two large dogs, but I don’t know what breed they are. I…