Steep Climb (a poem)

I'm in love,hopeless and deep,
I know the ride's rough and the climb's too steep,
there are chances I might fall,
but it's not like a choice,it's not my call.

Love is not easy or frivolous,
the intensity is conveyed when we caress,
love is agonizing,love is hurting,
and there's danger of a heartbreak always lurking.

Love takes a toll and yet I yearn,
I'll trust love even if I crash and burn,
I'm prepared to take the chances,
only if you approve of my advances.

I promise I'll take it softly and real slow,
I'll tone down to your mellow,
You don't have to love me back the same,
I know you don't yet feel the pain.

The pain is what makes it sweet,
of this longing my life is replete,
say,will you walk with me on these wretched paths,
be my hero and play your part?

Are you capable of love,hopeless and deep,
the ride's rough and the climb's too steep,
there are chances you might fall,
I have no say,it's your call.
   -Seema Tabassum(me).

©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015

Picture courtesy: pixabay.com

Unless otherwise stated all content on tab1525.blogspot.com are intellectual property belonging to Seema Tabassum.Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's owner,Seema Tabassum is strictly prohibited.Excerpts and links maybe used,provided that full and clear credit is given to Seema Tabassum and tab1525.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.Thank you.

Happy Earth Day- Be Mindful

Happy Earth Day to all,though April 22nd is coming to end in another three minutes in my part of the world but in so many other places it's just mid-day of Earth Day,so I'm going to start writing anyway.
There's a beautiful Native American Proverb that says 'We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors,we borrow it from our children'.I live my life mindful of this,atleast I try to and sometimes take it a little extreme too.Since I believe in leading by example I'm going to tell you about a few things I do to reduce my carbon footprint,I'm sure you can do that too.
1. RECYCLE- I know recycle,most must be doing that,but in India there are no rules as such,one has to take the initiative themselves and so it becomes easy to develop a lax attitude towards separating our garbage according to the materials but recycling helps a lot and prevents wastage.For more on this please read here 
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/recycling.html
2.EAT LOCAL,SEASONAL,ORGANIC FOOD- I make it a point to eat local,seasonal,organic food,thank God that nowadays organic food is easily available,I buy all my pulses,beans,rice,wheat flour,spices organic.Fruits and vegetables not yet,but will soon.Though I love Kiwi fruit and Dragon fruit I never buy those,I buy only Shimla apples,I know that is not local too but it's closer to home than the American varieties that flood the market all year around.Those apples are not good,the nutrients are lost and the taste too suffers because of storage,refrigeration and forced ripening and the carbon footprint that these imported foods leave is massive,so much is spent on transportation of these imported foods,fossil fuel,a valuable natural resource is spent in bringing these foods to us,not to mention the storage and refrigeration costs,refrigeration which again uses electricity,frozen foods I learnt leave the highest carbon footprint followed by canned,plastic,glass and cardboard packaged foods.For more on this please read here
http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/food-miles
3.COOK SMARTLY- This is important too since in most of our households we use LPG to cook which again is fossil fuel,a non renewable natural resource,when something is non-renewable and is a natural resource it has to be used sparingly.I use pressure cooker to cook most of my food.I cook meat,rice even vegetables in the pressure cooker,valuable nutrients are not lost much because it takes less time to cook.I've learnt that using a stove top whenever possible is best to reduce one's carbon footprint,microwave comes next,oven apparently uses the most energy so use sparingly and reduce preheating,also using electric kettles to boil water is the most energy efficient way of boiling water.It's best to use devices that can cook multiple foods at one time(for this again pressure cookers I highly recommend).
4.NO AIRCONDITIONERS- My most extreme step this is,because I live on the top most floor of the building and it's so hot that all my candles get deformed,out of shape,those melt without lighting,haha but yet I will never,well hopefully never,ever use an airconditioning unit,there are many other reasons why I'm so adamant about not using one,but I guess I'll write another post for that,I want the focus on energy saving today.Do you have any idea why cities are so hot now more than ever? That's because everybody is using an airconditioner in Summer,these units make the air outside hotter while keeping it cool indoors,so the temperature outside automatically rises and since it gets so hot one has to end up using an airconditioner,that's the irony of it.Now if you're someone who is not as mentally strong as me and can't not let the heat get to you then you need to read the following link to know all about using your airconditioning unit efficiently which in turn will save energy. http://ecoseed.org/living-green/17394-its-no-sweat-raise-your-ac-while-lowering-your-carbon-footprint
5.USE TWO-WHEELERS WHENEVER POSSIBLE,FOUR WHEELERS ONLY WHEN MORE THAN THREE PEOPLE ARE TRAVELLING- that says it all,besides with the kind of traffic these days two-wheelers save time too and who knows that better than me.
There are many more things which I do but since you're already tired of so much reading,maybe next time.Do remember you cannot afford to not be mindful of the carbon footprint you're leaving because your kids will have to pay the price for your indulgences.Cheers to a green future for our babies.Peace.
*The artwork is my son's drawing on a whiteboard,I edited it for effect(ain't my son amazing...mothers..sorry).

All content and images copyright 2015
©Seema Tabassum 2015
©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015

All rights reserved.

In The Moment (a poem)

Many desires unfulfilled,

many moments just slipped,

many emotions unfelt,

many departures but not all left.

           Many goals but not keen,

           many places unseen,

           many chuckles unheard,

           many visions stay blurred.

Many scents not smelt,

many issues left undealt,

many days lived mindless,

many times spent running aimless.

           My life's been a series of unfinished stuff,

           have lived much but not lived enough,

           my perspective needs to be fixed,

           have to get right the basic gist.

I try to take it all in,

try not to spread myself too thin,

have realised that each moment passed is each moment missed,

only living in the moment will lead to true bliss.

           You too open your senses all,

           before night befalls,

           take it all in with open arms,

           before life slips away like sand from your palms.

              -Seema Tabassum(me)

©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015

Unless otherwise stated all content on tab1525.blogspot.com are intellectual property belonging to Seema Tabassum.Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's owner,Seema Tabassum is strictly prohibited.Excerpts and links maybe used,provided that full and clear credit is given to Seema Tabassum and tab1525.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.Thank you.

Another Year

We recently bid farewell to Abbu's last year's teacher.It's unbelievable how time flies,when one is finally getting to understand the teacher's ways it's time for new discoveries again.Goodbyes are hard,especially to a beautiful person,add to that the anxiety that comes with new beginnings,it's unsettling.This time of the year my heart feels so empty and nervous,both simultaneously.

Abbu's new academic year has just started.I know Abbu will do well,I'm not worried about that.This past year he got 'A's and 'A+'s in all his subjects except 'B' in second language Hindi and Computers.The thing that worries me and pains me is that Abbu will be judged again,again he'll be compared with other kids,again he'll have to prove himself from the start(and Abbu can be sensitive sometimes).

Every year the teacher's different and every teacher is different.Some like enthusiastic kids,some the quiet ones,there are also teachers who don't like boys at all,some like one kid's ways and want the others to be like that one they favour,they discourage individuality.One of his previous class teachers often had a problem with him,she always said that Abbu was not enthusiastic enough,and Abbu's problem is that he doesn't like to speak when somebody interferes while he's speaking,and in the classroom there are some kids who like to show off so they keep raising hands or voices to grab the teacher's attention,to answer a question and this,while Abbu's answering.Abbu finds it annoying and thinks it's best to not answer in the first place.Another teacher thought Abbu was a bit over-enthusiastic because he would always be the first to help the teacher with little things,sometimes getting past his friends to get to the teacher first.One teacher thought he was shy and put him in dramatics to help him get over his shyness,while another teacher thought he was very outgoing and lacked self-control.

There are also teachers who just presume things.They only accuse and don't even want to listen to the kid's justification,his side of the story.This crushes Abbu and it will,anybody.There were incidents,once one of Abbu's classmates took his eraser without asking Abbu and when Abbu found the eraser and wanted it back that particular classmate wouldn't give and the teacher saw this and asked Abbu to step out of the class because she thought that Abbu was distracting others,she didn't even bother to ask what the problem was and Abbu was devasted,he's always seen us treat him and his friends fairly/justly so it's a big deal for him.I've taught Abbu to be fair and I've been a good example,always,so that was a little disheartening for him.There are many stories like these,I'll have to write another post for that.Yes,that many.
Basically I'm anxious and nervous,about what this year has in store for Abbu and me,how many heartbreaks he's going to have and how many arguments I'm going to get into with the school staff.
 But most of all I hate the fact that with each passing year Abbu is growing bigger and one day he'll be big and no more dependent and no more only mine to hold,to hug,to carry,to kiss.I'm not really fond of this time of the year,reminds me of the fact that one day I'll have to let go,something that I hold so precious,my love,my baby.



All content and images copyright 2015.
©Seema Tabassum 2015
©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015
All rights reserved.

Abbu and Teddy (a poem for little ones)

Abbu was a little boy,

who like all boys loved playing with toys,

one b'day he was gifted a teddy bear,

Abbu named it 'Teddy',but he couldn't find time to spare.

Teddy would cry all day

and wait to get to play,

with his sweet friend,

but to his loneliness there seemed no end.

Day in and day out,

Abbu was busy throughout,
he struggled to make time,
and this didn't suit Teddy fine.

All Teddy ever expected was for Abbu to be a good companion,

but Abbu's parents wanted Abbu to be an academic champion,

sad and bored,Teddy decided to leave,

ofcourse his heart was filled with grief.

Teddy couldn't even bring himself to say goodbye,

because he knew it would be hard to not cry,

Teddy after much thought, stepped out of Abbu's home and ran,

away and forever to a faraway land.

But all along Teddy kept wondering,

about how Abbu must be doing,

without Teddy his good friend,

and wondered if this was a befitting end.
Teddy couldn't get over and all along felt,
that he should never have left,
the lonely boy,
because Teddy was his only stuffed toy.
He then decided to head home and now for always,
after Teddy's return Abbu also made time and found varied ways,
of keeping his friend entertained,
now tell me,don't you love how the story ends?
(Abbu,I'm asking you sweetheart)
          -Seema Tabassum(me)

©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015

Abbu's always asking me to write a poem or a story for him,with him as a character and since Abbu loves his teddy bear which my mother gifted him on his third b'day,I thought I'll write about their story.I think Abbu likes Teddy more because it is his Nana's gift.So this one's for Abbu,hope you like it too.Thanks(and yes,I know it's more like a nursery rhyme).

Unless otherwise stated all content on tab1525.blogspot.com are intellectual property belonging to Seema Tabassum.Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's owner,Seema Tabassum is strictly prohibited.Excerpts and links maybe used,provided that full and clear credit is given to Seema Tabassum and tab1525.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.Thank you.

Storms In My Heart (a poem)

There are restless oceans 
in this heart of mine,
there are storms inside
and places devoid of sunshine.
Somedays I set out to discover 
what's laying in those depths,
but it gets too overwhelming,
I'm forced to come up to the surface to take a breath.
These depths are terrifying
for there has darkness creeped,
it feels like the somberness will swallow me
if I pay more heed.
The turbulence threatens to shake my soul
and rattle my very existence,
it's crucial I stay ashore,
and keep it all at a distance.
For it feels like if I let,
these storms will consume me,
I tell myself that I'm not prepared to dive in yet
and resume drinking my tea.
       -Seema Tabassum(me)

©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015

Picture courtesy: pixabay.com

Unless otherwise stated all content on tab1525.blogspot.com are intellectual property belonging to Seema Tabassum.Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's owner,Seema Tabassum is strictly prohibited.Excerpts and links maybe used,provided that full and clear credit is given to Seema Tabassum and tab1525.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.Thank you.

11 reasons that make me feel I'd be better off a man.(WOMEN'S DAY SPL.,I know)

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY... but I always have believed that I'd be happier if I was a man,you have to take into consideration the fact that I'm a woman living in INDIA.
The BBC documentary on the Delhi rape case titled 'India's Daughter' is enough for you to know why,but I'm going to give you those reasons anyway.

1.I'd be more appreciated,loved and missed if I were the father,because fathers are not around 24/7,don't discipline much and well,slog for the family(household chores no matter how tedious and never ending, don't really fall into the 'slogging' category in the kid's mind).
2.I'd be able to pick up a fight with or even punch a guy who honks non-stop right next to my ear(even when the signal's red and nobody can move an inch),or anybody who violates traffic rules when I'm around,or any rules for that matter,I can't stand people who break rules but as a woman I can't really punch somebody(how I wish though).
3.I would be able to roam the streets and come home late,whenever I felt like, without being asked a hundred questions by family and without being judged by people on the road or by neighbours.
4.I'd be able to drink 'cutting chai' at the neighbourhood Irani cafe without being looked at,say,more than a hundred times.
5.I would be able to travel alone,anywhere,everywhere,the length and breadth of India without being bothered and scared and without having to look over my shoulder every second, the whole time I'm on that roadtrip.
6.I'd be able to go and watch a movie alone without having everybody looking at me like I'm some weirdo or a 'sl*t'(that's actually a more suitable word in this scenario).
7.I'd be able to hang out with my friends the whole night and that can be right outside my house without being disturbed or yelled at.
8.I'd be able to eat alone in a restaurant,without getting second looks.
9.My family's 'honour' would not be mine to bear,in my own home or in my in-laws' home or everytime I step out of the house and THAT would be such a relief.
10.I would not be judged for the clothes I choose to wear.
11.The best,I'd be able to say "Because I'm a guy and I can do that" anytime I had no other justifiable answer for my actions.
These were my 11 reaons though I'm sure I can come up with more,maybe next time, BUT I have one great reason I'm grateful I'm a woman and that is being a mother to Abbu,I carried him nine months inside me and that is like the best gift/reward for being born a woman,I guess I can live with that,well,I have no choice.
Happy Women's Day to all the amazing women I know and also to those I haven't had the pleasure of knowing,yet,more power to us.

All content and images copyright 2015
©Seema Tabassum 2015
©tab1525.blogspot.com 2015
All rights reserved.