Festive Riot

Festive Riot is an online magazine, started as a passionate dedication to writing, writing for things which provide joy! Conceptualised and founded in 2016 October, it has to its credit 5 issues till date.

It is a non profit, no advertisement magazine. After a brief hiatus, Festive Riot is ready to take the trip to launch its sixth issue in the New Year 2020. For that it requests contributions from writers, poets and even artists. The theme being –

“What excites you, motivates you, or brings a dash of joy in your life?’ It could be something as simple as ‘dance’, ‘doing pottery’ or maybe even ‘volunteering for a cause’.”

Share with us your thoughts, artwork, poetry and stories. We just ask you to keep your stories within 500 words. You can email us with your contribution at festiveriot@gmail.com, by January 15, 2020.

For previous issues on Festive Riot take a look at the link below.

https://issuu.com/festiveriot

The world would love to read and see what you have, to motivate you!

Spreading the cheer in the new year!

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Growing

When I decide to buy a dress, I twirl in front of the mirror and there I stand just like I did when I was 18. My mind is youthful and bursting with life and a certain happiness beats in my heart.

Then I decide to visit the optometrist, a regular eye check up and discover I could have long-sightedness, age takes over and a heaviness descends in my heart.

Youth, with all its vitality is like a river of joy, constantly flowing towards the promise of something positive. Ageing on the other hand leads to that same river at a different entry point descending into the murky waters of difficulty.

Ageing is a constant process, the old must go to give way to the new, more promising, more intelligent than his predecessors. When that ‘old’ slowly turns into me, is when a light just goes out in my mind. No, death does not scare me, the whole process of turning old, grey, wrinkly and useless does frighten me immensely.

Life must go on and I reject the optometrist’s verdict and pretend I’m 21 again! For how long is the question!

Growing growing gone!

Of Changes

It was the last day of my daughter’s school and the school was closing down for the summer break, a long, much-needed holiday. The last assembly saw the graduating class put up a little show as they bid adieu to the school and move on to the next phase of their journey.

Amidst much clapping and cheering they made a grand entry inside the hall, proud parents stood by clicking photos, tucking away precious memories. Out of nowhere my eyes brimmed with tears and there I was crying silently! For what? My daughters were not graduating and I know none of the kids personally. I wiped my tears and pondered silently on my reaction.

A colleague changing jobs, a child leaving a school, a neighbour changing houses, something as simple as that makes me sad.

I decided I actually hated people leaving, going away and disturbing the present order of things. I actually felt like someone was removing a warm scarf from my body as I stood there braving the cold. Recently I have experienced a whole lot of relationships dying, fading away or just ending because their time was up. In this day of digital connections, a Facebook friend or a WhatsApp group can hardly replace meaningful relationships, even if that is with your neighbour, whom you don’t see much!

Change however is the one constant thing in our lives, as if we are floating in a huge sea and touch different shores at different times. Sometimes though I wish I was a lake, standing still, running deep and feeling secure with the sameness around me!

As another new year descends upon us, this feeling of being still grips me even more.

Love

I have a proposal do you hear?

A holiday in my head I do fear.

A promise of gentle streams and rolling mountains

of endless moments suspended in time.

Of linking hands and deep conversations,

and much love over a glass of wine.

There, I see a crease on your forehead,

of unsure horizons that lie ahead!

Why? This doubt I may ask,

maybe its been so long since we basked,

in the love that we share!