Going Local

Easily
Picked up
The rhythm of this city
Language no barrier
A polite smile
Matters quickly handled
Like the basket in the supermarket
Sporting
A shopping plastic carrier
Going local
A challenge
Less precarious

Easily
Enjoyed
The good weather
Everyone
Minding their own business
Locals and visitors
Relaxed
No evidence of a lingering
Inquisitor
Spring sun
Bring laughter to the soul
Gradual equilibrium


By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011.

Roaming

Valencia

The old city gate
No longer marks
An entrance portal
Instead
It is a sentry
In a roundabout
Still kept
A cross intact
Warding off
Evil

The Cathedral steeple
Rises above
Midday traffic noise
Ask not
For whom
The bell tolls the hour
Belief
Still
In your
Power

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011

My love affair with this city continues even after stubbing my toe on one of the granite blocks on the sidewalk! One has to appreciate a city that is alive at noon and midnight. Where you feel safe to enjoy a stroll in the park and appreciate orange blossoms and lively fountains, cyclists and the buzzing energy of the restoration of old buildings side-by-side with the development of new homes.

A Change of Scene

Greetings from Valencia, Spain. One of my biggest challenges this year is keeping up this blog. Taking it on the road is making it a bit more difficult, but there is lots to see and even more to share! Taking long walks each day gives me the chance to explore. Of course the path meanders in and out of interesting stores, but do not despair! The price of the euro is enough to deter me from splurging. Careful consideration and lots of thinking keep me away from buying, buying, buying! Europe is certainly a consumerist’s paradise! Even I felt a bit overwhelmed with the variety! The rose below is one of many in a rose garden that is part of the Science park.



I have been snapping lots of pictures… experimenting with the camera and at this point it is still point and shoot (mik and druk) pictures. Taking pictures is lots of fun, but I only take the camera on every second outing in order just to see and appreciate my surroundings.

Growing up we learnt about this place because of the Valencia oranges. It is indeed a city of orange trees! I have also spotted an number of fig trees and today I saw a big one laden with fruit. In the middle of the city (almost I think!) there is a small park with three huge rubber trees (at least that is what we called it where I come from). Already I’m wishing for a wide angle lens. How can one describe this city?

I have not been to the beach yet, but you can feel that it is close by since the day-time temperature is 27 degrees Celcius but there is this lovely cool breeze blowing. A kind of café society is what I see. The city centre is busy, but it is filled more with people who are running errands in-between working hours or walking between office and appointments outside. The streets are filled with a mixture of tourists and retired people.
It is a city that mixes the old with the new. I became fascinated with the towers and the ornate plaster work. Balconies are festooned with the most interesting iron railings. I counted three churches in a 3km radius --- a triangle with the Cathedral at the Apex and two parish churches at the base. This of course is from my small angle. There is more to explore! Each traffic circle has some kind of sculpture or garden on it. This is one angle of this one.


I turned away from a guided tour in the Cathedral and instead I found the door open to the Parroquia de Santo Tomás Apóstol y San Felipe Neri in the Plaza de St Vicente Ferrer. The short time there rendered these pieces.

Confused
I float here and there
No sense of grace
Deeply embedded care
Hope mingled with moments scared
All the time
Chasing away
Feelings of despair
Murmurs in my soul
Constant prayer

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.

Far off outside
A city moves
Basking in the midday sun
Purpose
Mingled with fun
Familiarity
Briefly
Disrupted
With fascination captured

The church florist
Brings the altar to life
Bathed in white
Sheer visual delight
The silence holds a reverence
Briefly
Treasured might
Godly grace
Never contrite

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.

Feint the lingering smell of incense
Sunday high mass
Left no traces
Quiet
The calling voices
All seeking
Godly loveliness
Innocence
Ubiquitously
In our minds
A permanent home
Reserved for
Holy places

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011

The house of the Lord is alive
Pulsating under the mason’s hammer
Accompanied by an irritated cough
A guardian – patron
This lone visitor
Captured
Calmness
Gradually ascended
The bang of the church door symbolic
Those entering and leaving our lives
Remain systolic
Every soul connected
Ideas iconic

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011

Collecting Thoughts

Spring is in the air and I’m drawn to the garden like a bee to nectar whilst at the same time struggling to find the inner strength to connect the lines... words stuck inside… the inspiration is there but the souls’ cooperation is missing.
Writing for a living… waiting to earn a living… earning a living? What is the meaning of that? For some the answer is working hard and getting a well-deserved pay day. Others it is playing hard and getting a ridiculously high reward. The millions of job seekers wait and try and try again… our job is to ward of the threatening despair. The luxury of sleeping late, reading all the books you like, pottering around the garden, sweeping (if you like that kind of thing!). On another level there are crafts and cooking alternating with intent television sessions with the hope of gleaning valuable life-enhancing lessons.
All along there is the nagging reality… a blog in which to capture everyday life issues… In an attempt to catch up I post these pieces… Comments still welcome!

Love and Peace!

From spot on the couch

Washing in the shade
Shaking in the breeze
Free from the recent winter freeze
Framed by the incredible spring greens
The silky spider web
Blinking in the distance
Swinging in the wind
Offering no resistance

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011

Melancholy

Fig jam and bread washed away with black coffee
A traditional breakfast
One little bit of a luxury treat
At home
Suffering
A kind of homesickness
That has nothing to do with place
Maybe more about
A yearning for the years lived
Sometimes
Bickering
Laughing
At the springtime breakfast table
Swinging
Defiant bare feet cold
Summer shorts
Flapping
In the stiff breeze
Willing
The heat of the summer sun
Strapless tops under warm fleece
Expectant
Radiance on naked skin
Familiar tastes and smells
Gradually
Nostalgias quelled

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011

Tribute to soul mates

We don’t talk every day
Often I realise
Our prayers
Intermingle
Seldom focused
On our needs single
The life of my soul sisters
Mine
Existence giving

We don’t walk together every day
It has been a while
Since our last
Mountain journey in the rain
Rather
Caught in a song
Our connections
Strong
In my world you firmly belong

We don’t eat together everyday
All our special flavours’
Nurtured
Soul sisters
In smiles, sensations
Savoured
Red wine deep
Chocolate ice cream(y) sweet
Our bonds over time firmly kept

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011

Blossoms in the heat

Confetti
Like I used to pick
From the barrel on the stoep
Nestled against the hot house
Fragrant on the kitchen table
Spring is here!
Nurturing
Sweet memories
Dear

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011

Last Saturday we attended a choir concert in the Uppsala University Aula (like a great hall only this one looks more like a cathedral (!) Since I struggle to keep still at the best of times I took some post-it note paper and a pencil… this is what I captured….

Moved

Voices dynamic
Ecclesiastical
Rhythm in my soul
Harmony magical
Only the polished gem revealed
Mined deep within
Transporting me
To the treasures
Of previous centuries

Deep and Light

Tears
Hide behind
Open eyes
Each songstress a diva
Every base and anchor
My voice
Quiet
Stable
The rhythm of my soul
Instilled
Enabled
An identity un-wavered
Sadness embraced
Happiness rejoiced

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 6 May 2011

A Sombre Mood

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled. - Swahili Saying

Last week I posted a mixture of what was buzzing in my mind and environment. Today’s contribution is an attempt to catch up on five’ day’s writing. Trying to make sense of the events of the past few days and at the same time we cannot stop what we do… the piece at the end is an update on the garden… or maybe it is better to say lack of action in the garden. The blues is playing and I cannot shake the sombre mood that the images of war brings upon me... Tell me what you see?

Shaken Up

Shaken up
We go to war
Everywhere
On the big screen
Paid-for-view TV
Victory
In the face of economic disparity
Peace
No easy feat
Control
Never
At the end of the line

Shaken up
West versus East
Bible over Koran
Priest versus Imam
Millions lost
All in the same systems bound
In war
The only place of equality
Below ground
Buried at sea
More than six feet deep

Shaken up
Wondering… searching
No universal ideal belief
Pacifists don’t wage war
Peace by proxy celebrated
Inner conflict a luxury elevated to unbridled heights
Karma
No light release
The middle way
Keeping millions from bondage
Toiling in relative
Serenity

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

Namaste

Namaste
I bow to you
No indication of subjugation
Merely
An open admission
Respect
Humbled
Equal
I am only me
Through you
Our souls connect
True

I bow to you
Namaste
Touching
Right hand to left
Close to my chest
Our connections
In time and space
Elected
The middle way
Easier not to stray
Spiritually
Light
Effortless praying

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

As-salaamu 'Alaykum

As-salaamu 'Alaykum
Peace unto you
Death
Celebrated
Avenged
An eye for an eye
No turning the other cheek
War
No place for the mild and weak
Collateral damage
Even the innocent
Sadly
Implicated

And upon you be peace
Wa alaikum assalaam
Life
Consecrated
Liberated
The blameless vindicated
In war mongering
We are all implicated
Global systems
Rooted
Complicated
Another Workers Day dripping in blood
All hands contaminated

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

One Weekend

On Friday
We sonorously congregate
Celebrating
A royal Union
Well planned
Millions
Glued to the little screen
A fairytale spectacle
Complete with fancy hats
Charities winning
Another wedding
Expected to be a lifetime’s innings

On Sunday
We spontaneously assemble
Celebrating
A battle victory
Well planned
Millions
Glued to the big screen
A dark tale spectacle
Complete with victory banners
Many white house’s winning
I cannot shake this feeling
Expected the start of many more battles beginning

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

Simple Times No More

We no longer
Live in simple times
Our universe
Complicated
In war and peace
We are all implicated
A plain existence
Perhaps
Only in the lives of ‘cut off’ villagers
Less intricate

We have never
In simple times lived
Even the lives of those
Without twitter and face-book affected
Fewer and fewer
Untouched
Their battles for life
Just as fierce
All our lives
By faraway encounters pierced
Salt and rice
Negatively effected
In war and peace
All humanity related

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

Delayed Reactions

In expectation
I wait
To plant the garden
One growing season in the north
Yet, experience tells me to delay
In all eagerness I hesitate
The bite of the last spring frost
Sensitive seeds
Will not take

In anticipation
I watch
Snow from the north
Falling slowly
Two seasons of winter in the north
Tells me
Its effects will not remain
Spring we venerate
Budding trees gives me
A visual break

In anticipation
I wish
No layers of snow will be staying
Like at the beginning of winter
Happiness pervades
I played it safe
Not planting last week
Was a good choice
Direct sowing
Might just give me a crop
Herbs and vegetables
Soon growing

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 2, 2011

Freedom Day Freedoms

Never the same day

April 27th
Freedom Day
One collective
Celebration
Amongst many
Life
Not
Comparable to any
Other
Father
Daughter
Son
Mother
Living
Requires
No comprehensive
Cover

April 27th
A commemoration
Many peoples
One nation
Each in life
A unique station
Democracy
Assumed for all
A state of elation
Inequality
Still
Part of the equation
Breathing freely
The recommendation
Survivalists
For another year
Patient

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 27 April 1994 we went to the polls and abolished Apartheid forever from the statutes, but the separateness still lives in hearts and minds.


Today the beech outside my window
Is in full bloom
Like the few surviving daffodils
I’m reminded
Spring is here
It is needed in my step
To lighten up
My soul
Beckoning me outside
A voice calm and collected
Its vibrancy
Cannot leave me
Unaffected

Today the sun in my window
Is warm and bright
It offers the promise
Of instant delight
Come outside
Please
Bring your kite
The breeze my company
Utter delight
It will still be many hours
Before we
Again
Have the darkness of night

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 27, 2011

Chicken curry and lamb stew

Chicken curry
Lamb stew
Comfort food
Just the tiniest scraps of meat
Sugar beans in the mix
Humble dishes
A gastronomical feast

Lamb stew
Chicken curry
Served for one or many
Best taken sitting down
Instant taste sensations
Stimulating
Positive moods
A buzz and vibe
Difficult to describe

Chick curry
Lamb stew
Pressure cooked prestige
Sizzling black pot campfire flamed
Every nation offers its edition
To the vegetarians aversion
Rice or roti
Krummel pap in tow
Knife, fork and spoon
No distraction
Salivating… mmmmm finger licking good

The lamb is softening in the pressure cooker and the house is fragrant with its promised flavor. By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 27, 2011.

Soul Sewing

Bright
Yellow
Green
I could not resist
Two pieces of cloth
Transform to a skirt
Imagined
A great grandmother’s gift
Skills honed
Trapped in memory
A mother’s guidance
Swift

Red
White and blue tied dyed
Treasures shared over oceans
Mixing
Lucky finds
Riches in the ‘fill a bag bin’
Sewing my salvation
Working stresses from within
Creations over the years
Stayed the tears
Waylaid the fears
Shielded from the spears
Sewing the gift
A silent cure

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 27, 2011

Easter Not Passed Over

Writing a daily blog was what I set out to do. Now I have not written for one week. Sorry… time and deadlines caught up with me! We have longer days in Skuttunge now and suddenly life is filled with many activities. Slowly the garden is getting ready for the big planting and creative ideas abuzz with a new craze for skirt making. It is once again fun to bring together the pieces of cloth. Nothing fancy so don’t send in the orders yet! The last time I posted was April 15th so I will try and find 7 pieces to keep in balance with the universe!

Another Passover

Another Passover
Almost gone
The end
Another Lenten journey
Where we win and lose
Learning
Just a little bit more
Gradually
Peeling away
What living
Holds for us in-store

Another Passover
With old traditions
Every dream
Holding new visions
Each year
A different prism
Gradually
Less and less division
Belief
Sometime
A virtual prison
Ascension
The promised salvation

By SBNN, April 23, 2011


Spring Flowers

I try
To capture
Your essence
Little flower blue
Rising tower purple
Cascading tree yellow
Rising tulip red
Your fragrance
Keeps my senses
Well fed

I try
To collect
Your nectar honey sweet
Like the birds
Flitting about
Sweet buds
Dinner delicacies
Insects’ intimacies
At dusk
They hover above your sensitive cusp
Every spring
A feast on offer
Mixing
Innocence and lust

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, taking pictures of Spring flowers in Sweden, A lazy Easter Saturday, April 23, 2011.


Patches

A riot of colours
Stir my senses
Bright greens
Yellows pale
What is the best cloth
On sale
An amateur designer
Never fails
Her own creations
House dresses
Well worn
Never
For Sale

A riot of pieces
Neatly
Stuffed in bags
A treasure trove
Worth much more
Than the rags we used
To clean the black stoves of old
Every stitch
A lifeline to my soul
Each patch
Mending
Broken bones
Life’s pains
Stories untold

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, the sewing machine is a gift that keeps on giving. Creating even just a bag to keep the bread warm is such a pleasure! April 23, 2011.

Pickled fish and hot cross buns

I dig deep inside
Finding the flavour and the taste
Pickled fish and hot cross buns
Cooked and baked
Golden brown
Sticky
Sweet and sour
Tangy
Deep in my bones
Every year
Flavours gradually entrenched
Stored in the tips of my fingers
Lingering in the lining of my nose
Salivating in the roof of my mouth
A shared perception
More than memories
Our collective celebration

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, Good Friday Feasts… Pickled fish and Hot cross buns, April 23, 2011.

Cooks’ Garden Companions

Rhubarb and Mint
Shares the spoils of early spring
The cool garden corner companions
Survivors shaking off
Winter’s cold ravages
One sour
The other sweet
Both offering
Quick relief
To many
Pestering human maladies

Rhubarb and mint
Leaves big and dainty
Culinary gifts
Perennial
Less than saintly
Mint well known
Rhubarb’s reputation
Much more quaintly
Cooks all round
Find hidden treasures
In generous portions
Well measured

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 23, 2011.


Depth and Meaning

Depth and meaning
I seek through writing
Hidden emotions
Somehow
Grazing the surface
Transforming
Something light
Instantly deep
Not necessarily the intention
Keeping it bright
Suddenly
Writing bittersweet
Chasing authenticity
An author’s quest
True to the self
Or else suffer
Mediocrity at best

Depth and meaning
We skim through
Revealing
Diminutive sightings new
Secrets
Well nurtured
Shame and pain
Our soul’s burden
Love and laughter
Life’s safety net
Existing
A fine balance
The search for self
A constant journey
True

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 23, 2011.

My daily prayers

I whisper a little prayer
Silently
Wishing to protect my soul
Seeking balance in my life
Making me whole

I whisper a little prayer
Loudly
Wishing for the safety of your life
That you will find happiness
Peace from strife

I whisper a little prayer
Subconsciously
Connecting us in our dreams
Banishing dark feelings blue
Finding blessings new

I whisper a little prayer
Wordlessly
Chanting a mantra seeking absolution
Exiling every sin
Discovering forgiveness within

I whisper a little prayer
Noiselessly
Spreading goodwill with every hymn I sing
Blessings to our souls
Each hour of meditation hope brings

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, April 23, 2011.