#214: 'Tis the season 💌🎄 🎁 🌟
Christmas Bundles + Poetry + A few meandering thoughts before the year ends
Hello, dear reader,
Apologies as usual for the delay in this newsletter. Bangalore’s gloomy weather has made it nearly impossible to do anything, let alone sit in front of a screen and get any work done (although working on this newsletter is more fun than work, I must admit).
I’m holding space today to share some random notes and thoughts:
I love cutting up words and creating collage poems out of them:
I spent the past weekend at the Agami Summit ‘22 in Panchgani, and interacted with changemakers, artists and people working in the law and justice space day, day out. One of my favorite takeaways from my time there: “The shape of power should be a circle, not a triangle.”
My therapist asked me to journal and make a list of all the things I wanted to do in 2022 that didn’t happen, and a separate list for the things I want to do in 2023 and prioritise them in order of importance. The act of doing this helped me let go of some of the guilt I’ve been carrying, and feel a tingle of hope/excitement for the coming year instead.
I’ve made my peace with the fact that I only managed to finish reading one book this year: The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, which did indeed bring me much delight. There’s been so much reading online through poetry journals, newsletters, articles and comics that I forget to remember it all adds up.
This year, I’ve gone from being someone who rarely emerges from her cocoon to doing 5 workshops in 3 months, making a bunch of zines and setting up my merch store and starting a flower lovers community and a floral newsletter. And yet, there are days when impostor syndrome / the nagging voice in my head says I’m not doing enough. Here’s to shutting up that critical inner voice and doing things that bring us joy and purpose in 2023. Hush already.
Poinsettias in bloom always make me smile and feel Christmassy:
A poem I wrote in Bombay last month:
"I thought it was a blue kingfisher
darting up and down
against the Bombay skies.
It turned out to be a kite,
Like a bird mid-flight”I’m visiting Goa this weekend for a much-needed break and some art explorations at Serendipity Arts Festival. Even though there’s been a lot of travelling this year, I haven’t been able to truly switch off and unwind. Here’s hoping for some one-on-one time with myself by the sandy beach, with some fries and Kings beer for company.
Poetry Corner
1. The Second Going by Philip Levine
Again the
day begins, only
no one wants its sanity
or its blinding clarity. Daylight is
not what we came all this way for. A
pinch of salt, a drop of schnapps in our cup
of tears, the ticket to the life to come, a short life of
long nights & absent dawns & a little mercy in the tea.
2. blessing the boats by Lucille Clifton
(at St. Mary's)
may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear
may you kiss
the wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that
3. Next Year by Gary Johnson
When we win the lottery next year,
Let’s buy a flat in Paris, France,
And I will worship you, my dear,
In lovely rooms with flowering plants.
Me, a somewhat endearing old relic,
A jowly but still charming man,
And you my darling, rather angelic
Reclining prettily on a silk divan.
When I’m tired and don’t feel well,
Pack me off to a nice hotel
With Egyptian sheets and fresh-cut flowers
And room service is 24 hours.
When I die, which I will do,
Wear black for a month or two,
Then look around, find someone new.
4. Starlings in Winter by Mary Oliver
Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly
they are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,
dipping and rising;
they float like one stippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,
then closes again;
and you watch
and you try
but you simply can't imagine
how they do it
with no articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
that they are this notable thing,
this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want
to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.
5. Excerpt from Greensickness by Laurel Chen
(after Gwendolyn Brooks)
Grief is not the only geography I know.
Every wound closes. Repair comes with sweetness,
Come spring. Every empire will fall:
I must believe this. I felt it
Somewhere in the field: my ancestors
Murmuring Go home, go home—soon, soon.
No country wants me back anymore and I’m okay.
If grief is love with nowhere to go, then
Oh, I’ve loved so immensely.
That summer, everything I touched
Was green. All bruises will fade
From green and blue to skin.
Let me grow through this green
And not drown in it.
Let me be lawless and beloved,
Ungovernable and unafraid.
Let me be brave enough to live here.
Let me be precise in my actions.
Let me feel hurt.
I know I can heal.
Let me try again—again and again.
Artist Showcase: Tito Stanley SJ
I've been meaning to feature the work of Kerala-born artist and painter Tito Stanley SJ ever since I experienced his paintings at Lokame Tharavadu. He's one of those artists with whom every tiny crop from the painting reveals new layers and whole worlds within a square inch.
Tito's exhibition Intangible World of a Stranger by Tito features new paintings that amalgamate grief and light with mysticism. The exhibition raises diverse questions and meanings to the existing notions of life and death.
‘Tis the season to be jolly 🎄
Christmas is almost here, and it’s time to spread some year-end cheer :D
My Amazon Christmas Wishlist, in case anyone wants to play Santa 🎅
Ma’s new No Fuss, No Bling collection is out on IG! Check out #MSKAvailable to see the available stock / DM her for custom orders. 💃🏾
Mmm: Slow is Beautiful: The Ultimate Art Journal for Mindful Living Through Nature by Ahlawat Gunjan
Revisiting: A Quarantine Christmas by Amy Noelck
Arthur Christmas (Netflix) was a surprisingly lovely watch.
I’ve also curated two super special Christmas hampers this year:
The Alipore Post Christmas Bundle 🙋🏻♀️
I’m doing a tiny pre-Christmas sale with The Alipore Post Christmas Bundle @Rs 999 containing the following merch:
-Cloud Doodles Postcard Book
-Zine: Scenes from Today
-Zine: Textual Healing
-Zine: Foraging in Himachal
-Zine: Dear Jasmine
-Zine: Blackout Poems
-A handwritten Thank you note
+ 3 postcards and 3 Stickers
*I’m making only 20 of these, so order it ASAP :D
Hoovu Finds Christmas Bundle 🎄
The Hoovu Finds Christmas Bundle is the perfect gift for any flower lover in your life! A set of curated zines, candles, a greeting card, bookmark, incense sticks and stickers to treat yourself to or buy for your loved ones.
Thank you for your support and kindness, dear readers. Wishing you a lovely last two weeks of 2022! ❤️
I’d like to leave you with this parting thought:
“Your impact on other people is bigger than you think. Someone still giggles when they think of that funny thing you said. Someone still smiles when they think of the compliment you gave them. Someone silently admires you. The advice you give has made a difference for people. The support and love you've offered others has made someone's day. Your input and opinions have made someone think twice. You're not insignificant and forgotten. Your existence makes a positive difference, whether you see it or not.”
– Amila Dulic
Love and glitter,
Rohini
✨ Join our community on Instagram @thealiporepost ✨
Beautiful. And the links are amazing. Thanks for the book and art recommendations Rohini.