Monday 28 November 2016

Turning



The year’s one long orange peel thrown on the floor
most segments sucked dry, they're giving nothing more
leaf flurries of words caught up in crosswinds
and chat shows about children tangled in war.
Each day has its spinoffs in love and suffering
the old deaths, and young deaths nipped firmly in spring,
drifts of people who don’t know what they’re out for
and minutes which don’t know quite why they’re turning.



Gosh, I am in stock-taking mode already! Every year, this process telescopes into itself and gets weirder and weirder.  I mean, one moment I am trying really hard to remember the year's called 2016 now and the next minute it's zoom! autumn going on 2017...but thankfully there's still a bit of breathing space.  

Blogposts so far - 83
Poems - 75 (Eng) 37 (BEng)
Short stories - 5.5
Anthologies - 3 
Writer's, and other, blocks - 332+


I've written less than I did, posted less than I did compared to 2015, probably a good thing on second thought! Probably greater focus on quality.  A few writing weeks got knocked off because of various illnesses - mine, family members', hardware's, none of them fatal, so far.  Loads of firsts this year - wrote poetry in Bengali, took writing courses, wrote genres I don't usually write, read modern poetry for the first time in life, and even understood some of it! Nothing much really to whinge about still, and with only one month left to navigate. Not counting my chickens before they hatch or anything like that, you hear me, universe? Keep turning it the way you are.




14 comments:

  1. I liked the orange peel concept. Very apt. I'm still turning - pretty dizzy from the year

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  2. Yeah, this year has been a pip, all right...

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  3. Quite a year this 2016. You keep right on expanding your horizons and love your work.

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  4. Seems like that orange peel should be longer...
    Less posts but sounds like a very productive year so far!

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    1. Definitely could do with a longer peel! a mixed year generally, but okay writing wise, not complaining.

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  5. One more tasty year of memories

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  6. Hi Nila - I'd like 2016 to turn off and let me have a new life in 2017 ... didn't think I could find this level - I'm ok ... it's everyone else! And life - I need a new bandwagon ... let's hope yours rolls on and on with happiness and joy ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks Hilary! Here's hoping 2017 will be way better :-) for all of us.

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  7. Again you score, Nila! Savor the end of 2016. For me and many others in the U.S., this year marks the end of our naïve belief that most people want what our Constitution guarantees - malice toward none, justice for all.

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    1. 'The mills of justice grind slowly yet they grind exceedingly small.'

      I do believe most people want an equal and just world, though recent events seem to signal otherwise. A nation and the ideals it stands for can't be dismantled overnight!

      Wishing you a better 2017, may it bring clarity and sanity and may truth and justice prevail, whoever our leaders and whatever self serving agendas they might have.

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