Smitha Vishwanath's Blog, page 6

Thankful Thursdays 12.06.25, Thursday Doors & Tanka Tuesday

Note: I took the picture of the sun streaming in through the trees in the Karura forest. See the patch of sunlight on the forest floor? I’m grateful for a lot of things this week. First, for completing another year around the sun. I celebrated my birthday, last Friday. It was a blessing to have […]

Book Review 2025 14/50 : Burning Butterflies by Robbie Cheadle

I enjoyed reading this interactive book. I have read the author’s previous book on S.African wildlife, where she raises awareness on endangered animals in S. Africa while providing information about them, their habitat etc. through poetry. ‘Burning Butterflies’ like its predecessor is also about S.African wildlife but covers subjects and aspects not covered in the […]

Published : ‘From the heart of war’ in Masticadores USA

I’m delighted to share my poem, ‘From the heart of war’ published in Masticadores USA. I’m grateful to Barbara for giving this poem a space. War sadly has become the new norm. Ukraine and Russia have been fighting for 3 years, 3 months as of now. What was thought to be a disagreement that could […]

Exploring Karura Forest, Tanka Tuesday 030625, Terri’s Sunday Stills 080625, Jo’s Monday Walks 090625

On Saturday, June 7th, we went on a hike to Karura Forests. Karura Forests in Nairobi, Kenya, is the second largest urban forest in the world. The first is the Tijuca Forest in Brazil, Rio De Janeiro. As the weather is cool in Nairobi throughout the day, at this time of the year, we left […]

Book Review 13/50 : Embracing the Power to Live by Marsha Ingrao

‘A memoir in part prose, part poetry’ is the best way to describe Marsha Ingrao’s new book, ‘Embracing the Power to Live’. With a sprinkle of verses from the bible, snippets that give you a peep into her world and poems that show her attitude towards life, Marsha shares her journey through life. It’s an […]

Published : ‘Luck for the old man, the hibiscus and the lion’ in The Wise Owl

I’m thrilled to share my poem, ‘Luck for the old man, the hibiscus and the lion’ has been published in The Wise Owl. I’d like to thank the editors and the whole team for giving this poem a place. Here’s a verse from the poem To be lucky,said the old man,is when you can sail […]

Malaysia Diaries 1 : Dine and Shop in Kuala Lumpur

We travelled to Malaysia on the 18th April 2025. It was a short 6-day trip – 3 days in KL (the capital of Malaysia) and 3 days in Penang. Although, we would have loved to explore more of this beautiful country, it just wasn’t feasible with my younger daughter having to return to university. I […]

Art : Room with a view

This is my first painting after moving to Kenya. The thing with watercolours is that it’s easy to carry it around and it’s not messy. I kept a 12-pan watercolour set, burshes and sketchpad with me, so I could carry on painting irrespective of the time the container took to come. It’s going to be […]

Published : My Pistachio Green Comb by Silverbirch Press

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed June. I want to thank Melanie and Silverbirch Press for publishing my poem , ‘My Pistachio Green Comb’ in the series on ‘My Favourite Things’. My green-toothed comb was my lucky charm when I was 14. I somehow believed that if I didn’t brush my hair with it, I […]

Nairobi Diaries : Thursday Doors 290525, Tanka Tuesday 270525, Jo’s Monday Walk

Tall trees reach the skies, valleys covered in green make up the landscape, a sheet of soft white clouds dons the sky letting only the warmth of the sun to touch us without the blazing heat. Butterflies and dragonflies flit over flowers growing everywhere, bouquets of flowers deck street corners waiting to be bought and […]