Poets and Poetry

I am not sure when it began or even how it began. While we had done our share of reading poetry with the girls, Daffodils and The Charge of the Light Brigade and even Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead and (my grandfather's and my own favorite) Lochinvar we hadn't tried to write poetry together.

Both Roz and Max have kept diaries (which I am still not permitted to read) from nearly when they first learnt to write. One day they just began writing poems. Max particularly went on a poetry writing spree - so much so, that at times when she was too restive and bugged me, I'd say why don't you write a poem. Of course her response was always "Give me a topic." Having already run through sister, school, trains (we were riding one at that time), I suggested family. And here's the poem she wrote on the fly (no rhyming dictionaries or Google!) - I have tried not to analyze it too deeply. And dear reader I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Family
I think my father's a vampire
’Cause he says he owns an empire
I think my mother's a fairy
But fairies aren't that hairy
I think my uncle's a troll
But he looks more like a mole
I think my aunt's a monster
But she's more like a disaster
I think my grandma's a witch
’Cause she sleeps in a dark ditch
I think my grandpa's a wizard
’Cause he can stop a blizzard
I think my cousin's a sorcerer
But sometimes he's more of a lecturer
I think my brothers a devil
’Cause he says he wants to be a rebel
And me...
As
you can see
I’m an angel!

Pre-teen vocabulary and parental headbanging!

Embarrassing, mortifying, HATE, nevver - these are words that have not merely gained great frequency but a whole new level of intensity in our household ever since Roz turned twelve. "I hate you dad" is never far from my reality and is usually followed closely by the sound of a (now I know it's sturdy) door banging! And Roz is the angel in our family, at least that's what everyone tells me, despite Max's claim to the title in her poem Family!

You'd think television would have prepared me, with stars from Lizzie McGuire, through That's so Raven to the more recent Hanna Montana being able to articulate Whatever! (also what EVER!) in so many different syllables and tones. But I must admit that I'll probably be runner-up, if not the outright winner, in the Dad-who-doesn't-get-it contest.

Apparently I have a loud voice - which has only gotten louder in my dotage (read after forty) - so constantly my angelic Roz is embarrased or mortified by nearly any statement I make to her at home or in public. It could be "That's a lovely skirt you have on" or "You got something on your chin." Either statement could set her off. She'd go storming away, the lovely wife would, in her more considerate moments be content with rolling her eyes and in less charitable moments have a pungent remark or two to make. It appears I can never do anything right when it comes to my nearly thirteen year old!

Even today, as watch Taare Zameen Par, in the darkened theatre it is okay for her to hold my hand, for me to hug her and lend her the spare hanky, but I had better not act like I know her once the lights come on!

Father of girls - two!

Whenever a new year appears, which seems to do so with ever increasing frequency, I have argued that it is just another day. Albeit, one in which we seem intent on making new resolutions and some of us go so far as to actually take stock of our lives! This year I half-heartedly fought the urge to make resolutions. However, by the time my birthday rolled around (yes, today), I realized that I had made a couple of resolutions. Worse yet, I am getting ready to commit them to writing, and at that in public. The two resolutions I am willing to admit having made, is to get my personal blog, fatherofgirls-two (fog-2) of the ground and try and get the first draft of the book I have been threatening to write for some n years done. There I have not just said it but written it down as well. I look to you reader (I don't refer to my lovely wife alone here) and any other accidental visitor, friends and assorted well-wishers to keep me honest.

A little background on the motivation behind this blog - my daughters who are aged 12.75 (going on 16?) and nearly 10 have over time made me realize what a lucky person I am. I find myself enthusiastically pumping hands and thumping backs of other dads who have just had girls (not just you Kausik, Mayank and Selva) and giving pitying glances to those fathers of boys - one or more (fob-1+) at what they are missing out. Of course all the fob1+ I have met, tell me girls are easy when they are not yet teens, but boys are a lot easier when they get to be older than twelve. I'd like to say that I have stayed above the fray in such petty squabbles but that would be lying (Resolution #1, 2001 I shall not lie (needlessly?)).

Better writers than I, from the comic (Erma Bombeck, Bill Cosby) to the serious (Anne Lamott) and the Page 3 set (Shoba De have dealt with children and the joys and travails of parenting; but why should that keep me from talking about my sweeties and how they are bringing me up.

Sweet as my girls are, breakfast especially on a school day is a big challenge. When Max wants cereal, Roz, my older one, wants a cooked breakfast. As both the girls have to make it the school bus stop by 720AM, every day is a challenge. LW's answer to this has been French toast and my own concoction has been a mean tofu scramble. Now for having gotten this far, I will share an original fog-2 recipe -Italian Tofu scramble ala Max (named after my little one).

Italian Tofu scramble ala Max!

Ingredients
1 small onion
1 small bell-pepper (green)
2 slices of whole wheat bread
¼ kg tofu - firm

2 tsps olive oil
4 tsps soy sauce
2 tsps Italian Seasoning
- could include some or all of
Basil, Oregano, Pepper, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme


Preparation
Chop the onions into small pieces. Dice the bell-pepper, bread slices and tofu into small cubes.

Pour two teaspoons of olive oil into a small saucepan and heat over a small flame. Add the seasoning and as the oil warms up, add the chopped onions. Before the onions begin to blush, add the diced bread crumbs. A wooden spatula to keep the whole mixture stirred would be a good idea. Gently stir till the bread crumbs are coated with seasoning.

Add the chopped bell-pepper and the soy sauce and continue stirring. Finally add the tofu and mix it well over a low flame for 3 minutes. Turn the stove off, keep covered for five minutes and you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!