by Prasanta | Nov 23, 2021 | Beauty, Belonging, culture, Ethnicity, Gratefulness, Identity, Uncategorized
The leaves in fall.The smell of hot coffee,freshly baked bread,and cinnamon.Eyes that smile.Laughter.Fuzzy blankets.Dappled sunlight.Friendship.Good news.Flowers.Old trees.Grandmothers.Tea.Pecan pie.Music.Poetry.Brown skin.Brown eyes.Black hair.Your name.Your...
by Prasanta | Nov 12, 2021 | Change, The Mudroom, Wisdom
Leaf Abscission (noun)* the act of cutting off; sudden termination. Botany. the normal separation of flowers, fruit, and leaves from plants. Leaves change color in a glorious display for only a short time, only to fall to the ground, dead. Trees lose their...
by Prasanta | Nov 4, 2021 | culture, Family, Food
Happy Diwali! To celebrate, I made one of my favorite Indian desserts, a carrot and cardamom pudding, called Gajar Ka Halwa. My mother told me she used to eat it in the winter months while growing up in India. This particular version is served hot, but in the...
by Prasanta | May 5, 2021 | Intentionality, Writing, writing journey
Two little words. Just two. I remember the times when others remembered to speak them to me. It’s not that we do things for the “thank yous”, but when others intentionally (or unintentionally) forget you–it can hurt. Perhaps you know of someone...
by Prasanta | Apr 29, 2021 | Belonging, Identity, Poetry, poetry by others, speaking
Join me on Facebook Live on April 30 and May 7!
by Prasanta | Apr 14, 2021 | Writing, writing journey
In this post, I share writing updates, announcements, and links for my latest articles.
by Prasanta | Sep 1, 2020 | Uncategorized
(I’m not quite ready for the porch swinging to end! But I know those days are coming.) Porch Swing in September by Ted Kooser The porch swing hangs fixed in a morning sun that bleaches its gray slats, its flowered cushion whose flowers have faded, like those of...
by Prasanta | Aug 9, 2020 | Hope, Inspiration, Poetry, poetry by others, speaking, Writers, Writing, writing journey
Hi Writing Friends! I’m honored to be leading a Breakout Session at the Breathe Writers Conference this fall! The session (and conference) will be virtual this year. Below is the summary for my session: Writing from Exile: Finding Hope Amidst...
by Prasanta | Jun 21, 2020 | Poetry, Seasons, Summer
Solstice Lament A leaf, flower, blue egg blossom in brief— short season of thaw before heads scurry in holes. For now, irony— gaining inches of darkness while days shimmer in verdurous splendor, efflorescent interval. Light soon dissolves— night spreads...
by Prasanta | Apr 30, 2020 | Life, Seasons, Time, Work, Writing, writing journey
We’ve heard of kairos time and chronos time. Maybe, tongue in cheek, now we have “pandemic time”. Indeed, how do we define time during a pandemic? There is the slow, thick movement of monotonous days at home during quarantines. Simultaneously, there is the sense of...
