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Focus: A Quirky Exploration of Obsessions and Oddities

Are you a Pica Pro?

How much of ice is too much to slice?
Bet, you didn’t expect that coming. Right?
Ice golas in the past, the economical substitute
for cold cool drinks, ice has come to stay,
and ‘by God’, in what way!
Nothing left untested. All fun until it becomes
an obsession, a transition from normal to sick
‘pica’ is the new kick;
If you chew on ice pieces whenever the urge
to munch something is strong,
then ‘pagophagia’ is what you are suffering from.
In small dozes fine otherwise far from norm;
Your teeth could take an unexpected beating,
making you anxiously search for healthier
alternatives tweeting; it could be an iron deficiency
or more so, go slow
in chewing things of zero nutritional value
be it relationships or ice on the menu.

Life’s a weed

Life’s boring, the revenues falling
so, what’s the next best market to tap?
“Weed” discovered a couple in Bengaluru
growing ganja saplings in pots on their terrace
Yes, you got it right, a balcony blooming charas
easily fooled by the uninitiated,
promoting it on social media until
the police showed up at their door;
sadly for them, the end of their weed show;
giving them tough competition was
the man from Noida, indulging in
cannabis embroider, investing in 24x7
air-conditioning for the weed to flourish
without suspicion, procuring seeds
from the dark web, a portal refusing
to ebb. So, the next time you perceive
a flat garden nourishing let your mind
antennae go ringing.

The capital of the spooky season

Halloween, the fashionable fun n’ dark
festival of the United States of America,
actually, a harmless substitute replica,
a deterrent to chaos and confusion
caused by children going overboard
with their pranks fully tanked;
so, costume parades, food parties
did the trick, it was a Grande Day Parade
which till now has happily stayed.
People took it all in their stride,
harming left aside.
No wonder Anoka, Minnesota where
it all commenced is deemed the capital
of all things Halloween-
dark black dresses, scary paint and spleen.

References:

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/urge-chew-ice-deficiency-habit-experts-9465172/lite/?utm_campaign=fullarticle&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=inshorts

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/bengaluru-couple-ganja-cultivation-weed-balcony-garden-video-facebook-9662773

https://curlytales.com/united-states-anoka-is-the-halloween-capital-of-the-world-celebrates-a-103-year-old-festival-of-halloween-here-are-the-details/?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Picture design by Anumita Roy

author avatar
Shail Raghuvanshi
Shail Raghuvanshi is a poet, freelance journalist, copyeditor, voice actor, and artist with 30 years of experience in various media. She has worked as the Cultural Correspondent for India's first integrated media company, PLUS Channel, and has written course material for Madurai Kamaraj University's Post Graduate Programme in Advertising and Public Relations. She has also been a coach of Communicative English. She has published poems, short stories, and articles in leading magazines and anthologies.

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