For this prompt, you will need to fill out, in five minutes or less, the following “Almanac Questionnaire.” Then, use your responses as to basis for a poem.
I’ve listed my answers alongside and tried to make the maximum use in my poem below.
Almanac Questionnaire
Weather: Amazing, trees looked washed and scrubbed after a heavy downpour.
Flora: bright violets, Acacia, Zinnia, Iris
Architecture: Tall glass buildings
Customs: Morning and evening prayers (I begin my day with Gurbani, to pay gratitude to Almighty for another day)
Mammals/reptiles/fish: dog/ lizard (I hate)/ dolphin, star fish
Childhood dream: to see snow clad mountains
Found on the Street: a kitten
Export: all my worries
Graffiti: love all forms of art
Lover: of life; its blessings
Conspiracy: I just don’t believe in it; secrecy, is different from conspiracy
Dress: Black evening gown
Hometown memory: a carefree walk with my friend in the evening
Notable person: Bill Gates for his acumen and philanthropy
Outside your window, you find: a promising day, a view of entire city
Today’s news headline: Not interested; too depressing
Scrap from a letter: Love you, see you soon
Animal from a myth: cat; if a black cat crosses your way, it brings bad luck
Story read to children at night: Arabian nights
You walk three minutes down an alley and you find: dead end
You walk to the border and hear: Hail my country from each side
What you fear: death before my children are independent
Picture on your city’s postcard: Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Golden Temple
My musings today
A heavy downpour provides respite from sun
Trees appear washed and scrubbed with affection
Bright violets, acacia, zinnia, iris- flowers humming in rhythm
Tall glass buildings across the city appear taller-
Gleaming in sunrays after purified by rain- an awe-inspiring view
A cool breeze perfumed with aroma of petrichor, adding romance in the air
I spot a kitten hiding behind bushes- a black one with white paws
Seeking shelter from rain, or does it have a lizard in its grip (I hate lizards!)
Or is it running away from that fierce Labrador- I see him panting too
I try to decipher the conspiracy of these animals
When suddenly the news flashes on my app- I ignore it
It only adds to the anxiety these days
I find myself in a flux today- riding on the high and low tide of the day
Nostalgic I feel, like never before,
My black evening gown; a carefree walk with my friend in my hometown
My childhood dream to dance in the beauty of snow clad mountains
All flash in front of my eyes, but all I see is a cul-de-sac; I gasp for fresh air
I look outside my window- the beautiful city twinkling; praying for promising days ahead
Calls to evening prayer reverberate from the nearby mosque
I pay my gratitude to Almighty for a day well spent,
I turn on the live telecast from Golden Temple,
A place that reinforces my belief in Universe; the name by which I remember my God
To export all my fears and worries in His hands
An aficionado of life and its blessings I am
©Vandana Bhasin
26.04.2020
I have give few questions miss…well done with the prompt
Ya, me too. Thanks Sang!
I could have guessed that you, too, would be a “Lover of Life” 😉
such a gorgeous descriptive poem, you had me hanging on every word
absolutely my pleasure
A very honest answer to the questions. I had fun with the prompt. Well done!
Thanks Smitha 🙂 I enjoyed writing it too.
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