Friday 12 February 2016

Winter Skips Bengal


             
courtesy: google image

Mischievous is truant winter
With its feet ready to drop out
Pursing its warm lips in a pout
Runs the errant child of Nature

El Nino is its dearest peer
Holding hands they joyfully shout
Mischievous is truant winter
With its feet ready to drop out

Green parrots now are in despair
Date palm sap forgot to drip out*
We failed to meet its needs no doubt
So it flees and elsewhere loiters
Mischievous is truant winter

*In winter a slit is made into the date palm tree for the sap to drip out and collect into a pot to be made into jaggery by heating (During summer the heat at night makes the sap rancid and alcoholic).This is known as Nolen Gurh in Bengal, a winter delicacy. But this year we almost had a warm December and topsy turvy weather because of El Nino.

 

Posted for dVerse MTB; The Rondel



Nolen Gurh, courtesy   ; google image

16 comments:

  1. What a lovely conceit! I love the idea of truant winter, as you portray. Beautifully constructed.

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  2. The seasonal changes have been unpredictable Sumana ~ We had a slow start on winter & now its bitterly cold ~ This reminds me of our maple sap, which is harvested at the end of winter ~ I like the mischievous is truant winter ~

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  3. This is absolutely incredible! Love the mix of culture behind your verse :D Beautifully penned!


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  4. That is fascinating. So this Winter you haven't needed heat?

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  5. I did not realize you had such a mild winter there, Sumana. Sad about the green parrots; and I imagine everyone missed the jaggery. I would guess that the process for collecting this sap would be similar to that we use to collect maple tree sap to make maple syrup. I think this is done here late April.

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    1. Yes this year winter was mild...we had jaggery but not of the best quality, really missed that heavenly scent...winter in Bengal is very much scented with various delicacies made from this...

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  6. a truant winter... What a brilliant description... I had never heard of jaggery before.

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  7. "truant winter" -- this, in and of itself, if just wonderful.

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  8. Interesting back story, too. I like how you personify truant winter. Our winter in teh So. California desert must be playing hooky with yours.

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  9. We had a pretty truant winter too. Just this past week or so it has turned cold for us but up until then we had warm temps and lots of rain...too much rain! I love this Sumana. I didn't know that about date palms.

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  10. We've had a warmer than normal winter here too

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  11. The seasonal changes have been crazy this year.....lovely poem.

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  12. Lovely poem. The seasonal changes all provide their own "treats"...so nice to read of this special happening in Bengal. Yes -- seems the weather is topsy turvy everywhere!

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  13. Love that opening line: "Mischievous is truant winter" - it sets the stage, perfectly. A very edifying, beautifully drawn poem-and-post.

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  14. SpRing Azaleas bloom
    in Winter heat..
    Winter
    cOld floWers
    wait for frosty
    gRound..
    Tornadoes
    come next
    iN balanCinG
    revenge..
    spectators
    oF awEsome
    Nature aLL are wE..:)

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