Month: October 2021

#12 Taste of Winter

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

Day 12 Inktober : Stuck

When he was a kid he was never allowed to play in snow. After many many years when it started to snow he hopped, skipped and jumped in excitement. He wanted to know what it feels like to eat some snow. So he walked on the streets with his mouth wide open. In a frenzy when he came across a pole which read taste of winter, like a fool he licked it and got his tongue stuck on the pole. He froze for a second, unable to move, the chills ran deep inside his body but when he got his tongue moving he laughed out loud and decided to do it once again.

Paradise Taken: The Diary of Eden Flores Part I By Omar Gonzalez

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

When the innocence of a child is tainted by the gruesome realities of the world, then paradise becomes an unattainable dream.

Paradise Taken: The Diary of Eden Flores Part I is a collection of true events about a girl named Eden Flores. The author, Omar Gonzalez, captures Eden’s life experiences remarkably in this book and shares them with us in the form of stories and poems. 

The book begins with stories about Eden’s childhood and her family. The family visits her parents’ native place called El Paraiso (“Paradise”). Here, Eden first realizes after witnessing certain events that life is far from being anywhere close to a paradise. As young kids, Eden and her brothers would always look for reasons to escape so they could avoid the chaos and violence at home. But, even the outside world had its perils and dangers which she soon experienced. The ordeal just gets worse, making it an immersive reading experience. 

All Eden ever wanted was a life filled with smiles and simple joys with her family. But how does one cope when family inflicts the most amount of pain? There are many things in this world that we take for granted and don’t appreciate enough, Paradise Taken is a book that makes us realize that. 

It discusses themes around racism, religion, sorrow, suffering, domestic violence, and sexual child abuse. The careful interweaving of stories and poems provide an impactful narrative that stay with you after the last page.

Also find my review on Reedsy.

#10 Tea Leaves

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Day 10 Inktober : Pick

This has been kind of a dream job, wearing a basket over the head, picking those tender and fresh tea leaves and plucking them traditionally by hand. I know it’s not easy at all, but I would love to visit a tea estate in India someday.

#9 Social Pressure

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Day 9 Inktober : Pressure

Meeting people, answering phone calls, answering video calls, replying back to messages and mails, living up to people’s expectations, interacting with people in a community, making small talk with strangers, contributing ideas in team meetings, engaging in group conversations, presenting presentations, dinner parties with large groups, listening to incessant loud chatter, being active on social networking sites and wondering why all this isn’t easy is a pressure that some of us, introverts, always have to deal with.

#8 A Watch from the Past

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments
Our good ol’ pendulum clock.

Day 8 Inktober : Watch

Anything that’s vintage always comes with it’s own unique charm and attraction. Every vintage item can reveal many interesting and mysterious stories. Not because we share memories with them but because they look so extravagant and elegant. It feels like they have a character and history despite the imperfections.

#5 Raven

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Day 5 Inktober : Raven

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

– From the poem Raven by the literary genius Edgar Allen Poe.