MEMORIES - by Sudhir Iyer

MEMORIES  by Sudhir Iyer Was walking down memory lane, Was walking on the beach, Throttling the feelings of pain, Keeping doubts out of reach. Had a look at the sands of time The hours when time itself stood still, Could hear distant bells chime, And I was walking while I still stood still. Felt the heat of the sun beating, Could sense an awe that the past left, Saw the sheath of life fleeting, Glimpses of what was there were best.

HOW WAS YOUR DAY ? - by Dreamer

HOW WAS YOUR DAY ? by Dreamer We are friends from far away. When we talk we always have something to say. Our lives so different yet the same. Every night we play the game. We talk of families and about our day. I always wonder if there's more to say. Could it have been different for you and I? Or was fate decided before we could have tried? For now we play our parts, that's all that's left; Never knowing if our hearts would have met. Two people from far away, always asking, "How was your day?".

IN PURPLE FIELDS WE DANCE - by Charmaine Chircop

IN PURPLE FIELDS WE DANCE  by  Charmaine Chircop   Stay a little longer come closer to my heart Breathe dew breeze  on my neck's nape do not yet depart Play for me bagpipe music Blindfold all my starving fears Let the dulcet tones of your voice give us back those harvest years Make  of the citrus moon a ballroom Hold  me firmly from both hands Lift me  high to touch the star-sky Show me how young peasants dance  Let my soothing fingers trail  across your caloused  sun -soaked skin In purple fields Come chase me in that place our souls have been Take me away with you where this world is out of sight Where unspoken thoughts and heartbeats are enough to blaze the night

 

SPRING - Coloring Pages

LESSONS - by © Jeremiah E. Fanjul

LESSONS  by © Jeremiah E. Fanjul There's beauty in struggle, There's feeling in pain. For every painstaking mistake, There are lessons you can name. No one is excluded From life's many trials, Not even a scrape on the knee From an innocent child. It's true, most lessons do hurt. Some more than others, Some short and temporary, Some smothering with suffering. Some beautiful with love, Like a baby and mother. Some are a constant battle, Like sister and brother. There are lessons we must learn About how to love one another.

 

THE SERBIAN FORTRESS KALEMEGDAN

Kalemegdan is a park-fortress and an urban, but not residential neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad. "Great Kalemegdan" is one of its' parts and it occupies the southern corner of Kalemegdan, with geometrical promenades, Military Museum, Museum of forestry and hunting, Monument of the Graditutde to France.
Some 115 battles have been fought over imposing, impressive Kalemegdan; the citadel was destroyed more than 40 times throughout the centuries. Fortifications began in Celtic times, and the Romans extended it onto the flood plains during the settlement of 'Singidunum', Belgrade's Roman name. Much of what stands today is the product of 18th-century Austro-Hungarian and Turkish reconstructions. The fort's bloody history, discernible despite today's plethora of jolly cafes and funfairs, only makes Kalemegdan all the more fascinating.
Entering from Knez Mihailova, go through the 18th century Karadjordje Gate to reach the Upper Town (Gornji Grad) of the fortress. From the 1750 Inner Stambol Gate, you'll reach the Military Museum and the 27.5m-high Clock Tower. Further along, you'll see a small brick octagon; this is the 1784 Ali Pasha's Turbeh (tomb), one of Belgrade's few well-preserved Islamic monuments. The Roman Well is nearby, a mysterious 60m deep hole (more a cistern than a well) of dubious origin and shrouded in horrifying legends; apparently the well even managed to creep out a visiting Alfred Hitchcock! Looming beside it is the Victor Monument, a symbol of Belgrade erected in 1928 to commemorate Serbia’s victories during the Balkan Wars and WWI.
The Lower Town (Donji Grad) slopes down towards the river. The huge Gunpowder Magazine (1718) was set up by the Austrians as a safe place to hide artillery; today it houses a collection of stone monuments, including Roman sarcophagi, tombstones and altars. Further east, the ivy-swathed Ružica Church looks innocuous from the outside; inside, you'll find chandeliers made by WWI Serbian soldiers from spent bullet casings, swords, rifles and cannon parts. The well-preserved 1460 Nebojša Tower sits directly on the riverbank at the tip of the Lower Town's north-eastern rampart. A former dungeon, the tower now serves as a museum, with some excellent exhibits covering medieval Belgrade, the Ottoman era and the First Serbian Uprising.