Palak Tewary's Blog

Aaj jab sab 2023 to bye kehe ke,

2024 ke swagat mein lage hain,

isi bhag daud mein

hum bhool jate hai

ke waqt tha, guzar gaya

thoda accha tha,

thoda sa bura,

thodi pareshaaniyaan thi

aur thoda sa sukoon,

kuch achievements thi

haan, kuch failures bhi

kuch kwaisheyein thi

aur kuch jadojehet bhi

jaisa bhi tha – waqt tha

aur uski jo khasiyat hai

ye waqt hai, guzar jata hai

First appeared on https://pentoprint.org/write-on-features-keep-writing-travelling/

Also appeared on https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/how-keep-writing-while-travelling

Travelling is all about exploring new (and old) destinations, immersing oneself in diverse cultures and creating lasting memories. While it’s a truly transformative and exhilarating experience for writers, there is a risk of not being able to maintain a writing routine.

I love to travel and summer is usually earmarked for various trips. I’ve found the following tips helpful in keeping up with my writing practice.

Firstly, I set realistic goals. I take my itinerary, work out what available time I would have and what my energy levels would be like and set a commitment to write daily for the pre-set time. It could even be a daily word count, a number of pages or a certain duration. Achievable goals mean that I don’t set myself up for being overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations of myself.I have a portable travelling kit. This includes a small notebook, a pen and my phone. I carry these with me where I go. Depending on what you prefer, this could include a tablet, an iPad, a laptop or compact journal. In addition, I bring along any maps, guides, research material, etc. that may assist me. Having this kit means I’m always ready to capture my thoughts when inspiration strikes.Travelling is a joy. I find myself capturing reflections from the place I am at and letting the words flow freely. Each day, I’m writing about experiences, observations, people met, surprises encountered and flavours tasted. Capturing the essence of a place means I’m building a reservoir of ideas for the future, as well as keeping my writing practice going.In today’s world, technology is a valuable tool. I use my phone’s ‘Notes’ app to jot down my thoughts and there are now note-taking applications as well as cloud-based platforms. Tools such as detachable keyboards can be used to jot down ideas and organise our writing. Also, the voice-to-text feature is useful for hands-free writing while on the move. PS: Always carry a portable charger to ensure all the devices remain powered up.This might seem odd, but photography has been my writing’s best friend. By capturing amazing encounters and serving as visual prompts for my words, photographs help me to recall vivid details, emotions and experiences. So, take pictures when you travel; as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words, creating a truly immersive writing experience.There’s always some downtime when we travel. During flight waiting times, on train rides, while on the flight. These moments can either be dedicated to writing or reading. Writers should also be readers, so I always carry books or e-books and use these pockets of time to inspire my creativity.Local ambience makes for very encouraging writing spaces: cafes, libraries, parks, beaches, mountains or benches spewed on the pavements can breathe new life into the words we write. These unique spaces allow us to find solace and focus.Consistency is key, so find a time and place where you can regularly write undisturbed. I set a similar time of the day – either at the end of the day or at the beginning – to do a writing-related task.Joining a writing group – online or on social media to connect with fellow writers who understand the challenges of writing when travelling – provides both support and accountability.Sometimes I participate in writing challenges or prompts designed for travellers. These stimulate the imagination and encourage regular writing in unfamiliar surroundings.Travel also allows me to experiment with different styles, especially within poetry. As I’m having a new experience each day, I feel this adds to that, allowing me to step out of my comfort zone.Finally, remember travelling requires adaptability. Embrace unexpected changes and be flexible. Be kind to yourself if you cannot follow your agenda and allow yourself the freedom to explore and soak up experiences and let them enrich your writing when you have a chance to put pen to paper.

Writing is a creative outlet, allowing us to express ourselves, capturing the essence of our experiences. Travelling should enhance it with new experiences and perspectives, not hinder it. So, pack your bags, embark on your travels, and let your writing flourish on the road!

© Palak Tewary, 2023

Connect with Palak Tewary on palaktewary.com or through Twitter & Instagram: @palaktewary

First appeared on: https://pentoprint.org/showcase-bookmark-season-night-day-first-sign-spring/

What a season spring is in the UK! Supposedly the start of warm, calm, dry weather, we’ve often experienced frosty cold days and nights and sometimes even snow. The following poem embraces our theme of contradictions in relation to springtime.

A Season Of Both Night And Day

It’s spring; differences at play
Flowers bloom and rain falls
A season of both night and day

Strong winds and skies are grey
Yet sunshine thaws the walls
It’s spring; differences at play

Cool air, but hearts are gay
Nature answers the warming calls
A season of both night and day

Fresh buds in its array
Amid melting icy squalls
It’s spring; differences at play

Singing birds flying away
To answer nature’s calls
A season of both night and day

World awakening from its stay
In winter’s cold dark halls
It’s spring; differences at play
A season of both night and day

© Palak Tewary, 2023

Connect with Palak Tewary on palaktewary.com or through Twitter and Instagram: @palaktewary

First appeared on: https://pentoprint.org/monday-moments-new-beginnings/

I’d like to start with a poem by regular Write On! contributor Palak Tewary. There’s a kind of simmering in the air at this time of year, I think, as we start to look ahead. Palak has captured this mood beautifully and, with it, a sense of hope for what’s to come.

Primavera

Here I am, at the cusp of spring
Feeling the touch of hope in the air
Despite the winter chill, the sun is king
Here I am, at the cusp of spring
The birds, once again, begin to sing
The flowers bloom with a flair
Here I am, at the cusp of spring
Feeling the touch of hope in the air

© Palak Tewary, 2023

You can connect with Palak via her website, palaktewary.com, or on Twitter and Instagram: @palaktewary

First appeared on: https://pentoprint.org/showcase-beauty-human-mind-spring-matter-time-grammar-leed/

Dear Readers,

Today is my last Showcase and as March ends, we stand at the verge of spring. The days are lighter and brighter, bringing a cheer to our hearts, yet the chill and rain make it confusing… is spring here or not?

In this time, there are contrary themes at play, keeping us on our toes and dancing to find our beat. There’s joy to be had in this confusion.

Keep dancing!

Palak.

The first poem today is my take on the collision of nature’s different themes and when we find ourselves pulled in two different directions. However, I always find, where collisions occur there can still be real beauty to be found.

The Beauty Of The Human Mind

In springtime’s dawn, oppositions reign,
As ice and warmth, sun and rain,
Collide in nature’s grand display,
A dance of contraries in play.

The thaw starts, the ice gives way,
As winter’s clutch begins to sway,
And yet, the chill still lingers on,
An enigma, oh, so strong.

The earth awakens, buds appear,
A time of growth, a time of cheer,
And yet, the storms they do not cease,
A puzzle, oh, inner peace.

The spring’s conflicts do persist,
A paradox of sorts, that we can’t resist,
For life is made of opposites,
Of joy and ache, of likes and dislikes.

So let us embrace the birth of spring,
With all the challenges it brings,
For in the paradox we find,
The beauty of the human mind.

© Palak Tewary, 2023

Connect with Palak on: www.palaktewary.com or Twitter/Instagram: @palaktewary

First appeared on: https://pentoprint.org/showcase-poem-bookshop-after-fall-conflict-world/

I end with a poem I wrote on the conflicts of the world: how nature brings a sense of peace and delight and beauty, while we create friction and struggle and feud.

Conflict Of The World

© Palak Tewary, 2023

Connect with Palak on www.palaktewary.com or Twitter/Instagram: @palaktewary

First appeared on: https://pentoprint.org/monday-moments-going-home/

Next is a poem by another Write On! regular Palak Tewary:

I Carry You With Me

It’s not a place for me
It’s not a sight that I see
It’s not the possessions that I possess
And it’s most definitely not an address

It’s not a smell that I smell
It’s not a word that I spell
It’s not the sounds that I hear
And it’s most definitely not how I appear

It is buried deep inside
It is always along for the ride
It is what sets me free
Home is what I carry within me

© Palak Tewary, 2022

Connect with Palak on her website at palaktewary.com and on Twitter + Instagram @palaktewary

First published on: https://pentoprint.org/showcase-paris-library-out-of-season-flower-hats-so-cold/

My next piece is a beautiful poem by poet and Write On! regular, Palak Tewary, Out Of Season Flower. I like how there’s a message there about letting nature take its due course and how to allow something to thrive and bloom. You have to give it the time and space it needs. Not only for growth, but also for survival. The difference in outcomes for doing so is indeed a world apart.

Out-Of-Season Flower

The perfect temperature it must be
for the out-of-season flower to survive
the water must be just right
and so, must the sunlight
Govern it carefully, lest you let it die
a chance mistake, an inadvertent detraction
giving way to a careless greed
and offering a bit less than is the need
Watch it! don’t layer it so tight
that the ozone becomes harmful
and you lose the striven race
to bloom the blossom, you tried to place
Mayhap if you had let nature take its course
and let me flourish at my own pace
perhaps, today, I wouldn’t be like that
out-of-season flower, in an unnatural habitat

© Palak Tewary, 2022

Connect with Palak Tewary on: palaktewary.com or through Twitter and Instagram: @palaktewary

First published on https://pentoprint.org/showcase-theatre-home-haiku-earths-warning/

The last piece I’d like to share with you comes from Write On! regular, Palak Tewary. I find its dark undertone very powerful, as it emphasises the importance of looking after our environment.

from the fields of gilted corn and blushed wheat

to the pathways covered with yellow and amber leaves

the autumn bloom spreads its wings

and a magical hue, the wind weaves

the clouds cast their tormenting net in the open air

and a rainy spell could destroy us whole

a pitch dark blackness that overwhelms

and a brutalising fear, in the middle of the soul

but then the morning rays of the golden sun

gently touch the rolling hills bursting with crops

the stream smoothly bubbles along

keeping pace as the chestnut horse gallops

yes, a fickle mistress, the land lures

bestowing treasures, as it bids – although

do remember: the humble lesson harvests teach

we can only reap as we sow

© Palak Tewary, 2022

Connect with Palak Tewary on palaktewary.com or through twitter/Instagram: @palaktewary

Destruction comes as the result of ignoring the message. The last line ‘we can only reap if we sow’ is my favourite, as it highlights that we can only reap the rewards if we work hard to get there – something I strongly believe in myself. Maybe this is the way we can start bringing our world together, even if we’re feeling ‘apart’!

First published on https://pentoprint.org/showcase-blue-swan-rain-chameleon-fisher-king-buttercups/

The next poem, Rain, is by Write On! regular, Palak Tewary. Rain is one of the most uncomfortable elements of the weather. Harsh rain spits on your clothes and shoes and your socks get irritably wet. What could there possibly be to look forward to, in such grim weather?

Rain

As I sit by my window sill,
the rain drops start to patter,
I feel a smile find its way to my lips,
and all the worries no longer matter.

As I hold out my hand to stop their race,
the rain drops start to spatter,
I feel a wetness find its way to my face,
and of tears and beams, I get the latter.

As I step outside and feel the water,
the rain drops start to scatter
I feel a twitch find its way to my legs,
and my feet start to clatter.

As I dance around and sing in the rain,
the rain drops start to natter,
I feel a joy find its way to my heart, and
my delusion about sunshine starts to shatter.

© Palak Tewary, 2022

Connect with Palak Tewary on palaktewary.com or through Twitter + Instagram: @palaktewary

As you can see for Palak, rain is a symbol to relax and enjoy ourselves, no matter the downsides. Watching the drops from the window also seems to hold a childlike excitement for her. In society, we are pushed into the world of adulting; everything holds weight and nothing is taken lightly. But sometimes it’s OK to let yourself go and forget about the pressure of being, or becoming, an adult. Just look up at the sky! You may discover something you hadn’t noticed before.