A House Full of Stories Ep. 29: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K Le Guin

 This is the first Ursula K Le Guin story I have ever read and the language was so beautiful that I decided to read it out. I hope you enjoy it! 

The Bilge Master

Memories of Betel Nuts and Asterix Comics

 This is a poem about my paternal grandmother's younger sister. We called her Chotothakuma and she was a great storyteller with a never say die attitude. Cancer took her from us. A few weeks before she died, she called me to her room and told me that she had fought many battles in her life, but this battle was one she could not win. However she also said, with a smile on her face and a  mischievous twinkle in her eye, that if Death did want her, then Death would have to catch her first.

In memory of Reba Dam, sister, aunt and grandmother. 

This festive season

We are to be merry

My mind remembers your smile

How you made us merry

How you told stories

Walking stick at your side

We never knew you would go so fast

We knew you wouldn't go gentle

I miss the twinkle in your eye

I miss the chocolates on Diwali

The Asterix comic you gifted me

Is on my bookshelf

Betel nut sellers and their masala a memory

Thank you for proving to me

That courage isn't a man with a gun in his hand

Ma sobbed over the phone

I couldn't find the tears to mourn you

I don't think that's what you'd want though

You'd want me to keep smiling

Travel by unknown roads

With your blessing to guide me

Like the North Star guides lost souls

As this festive season draws to a close

We raise our glasses to you, Chotthakuma

And smiling turn to the dying light 

The Bilge Master

Music That Heals- A Photoblog

Ever since I was a kid, music has appealed to me. I grew up in a household that encouraged me to listen to music and guided me along the path. This post is a photoblog about the band HitchHykers and their gig at Someplace Else. 

I was excited about this gig and I was also feeling anxious earlier this week about not getting a job and I needed an evening to reconnect with my musical side. So I grabbed a friend and headed over to Someplace Else to watch Apu's band though it was Bukka who invited me.

For a few wonder filled hours, my troubles melted away as the HitchHykers belted out covers of The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath and of course Crossroads by Cream. They even played Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin, not to mention Come Together by The Beatles 

The evening was well spent in the pub, with good people. My troubled mind found solace. My anxiety receded and music wafted over me like a balm 

Photos follow below

Thought Catalog 2

Well this has been an interesting year for sure because there's been plenty of things going on. I dont wish to dwell on things past and have started to move forward, but there are some days man...there are some days. 

Then again, from being suicidal earlier in my life to finding people and things to live for is progress, right? 

I know I've not been very regular with writing because the honest truth is this year has left me too worried to write down succintly. I need a certain frame of mind to compose, which has been largely absent. 

I have however been reading quite a few books this year and getting the channel up and running has helped. The additon of poetry to the mix has worked out and I am not a bad orator it seems. My poetry videos are doing better than my stories on a good day. 

Boredom is a factor though. What with a tricky financial situation, the urge to disappear and escape has been indulged in. 

It's a quiet morning and a friend is sleeping on what used to be my old bed, now being used as a guest room. After scratching down thoughts on paper, I decided to come here and scratch thoughts out on this platform. I've been encouraged to freewheel and so I am. 

I'm gonna be missing the book club meeting today but they've given me a lot of books to read which I shall get to doing soon. 

It's not like I haven't been writing, but I think I'm in a trap in my own head where what I write feels so personal these days that I hesitate to share it on the internet and leave the secondhand stuff for the public. 

Keeping a journal could be the reason for this. Every morning (or evening) I scratch words into it. My mind becomes clearer. 

I'm also in a phase where I like what I'm thinking, but at the same time, some thoughts are bothering me. It's a weird feeling. It's like having fifty dishes on a table in front of you and realizing you like all of them but your stomach will divorce you if you have all fifty and therefore you need to select. When it comes to food this is something that is difficult for me! 

Speaking of food, I've grown more confident in the kitchen. I used basil on instinct recently and it paid off! The dish was some rice sauteed in oil with parsley and onions and a dash of soy sauce. 

My mind just went blank. I will leave you to peruse this. There is a story I finished last month which I've been tweaking and tweaking and I think I'll just put it up and be done with it next week. Hopefully.

Ciao!

The Bilge Master