The Power of Three

I happen to be a Number 3, born on the 30th of the month. Somehow, I always found homes and offices on the third floor. In some cases, the house number included 3 or 9. 36 is written in the Devanagari script as follows. ३६ The number is always used to denote two people who … Continue reading The Power of Three

Impostors

vulgarity being broadcastocean currents deflect the mastjammed headend responses jump out of a boxno one sees invisible lockshold headstalls the loudest voices dominatevested interests kill, berateheadworkers conspiracy theory setsimpose fears, identity threatsheadachy emptiness hunts for parking spacejump headlong into hatred raceheadshrinkers MTB: Compounding the Stem

Action without Expression

Who would have decided her place in the world and what she was supposed to do with her life – geography, lineage, personal values, philosophy of life, political leanings, relationship status, money? Each contributes in a small way, but only she knew how to put it all together to make sense of her existence. She … Continue reading Action without Expression

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #444

Welcome back to another week of inspired writing! PROMPT #444 We have two images below to serve as inspiration. You may choose one or both. The image by Nellie Adamyan is borrowed from Unsplash. It shows a sculpture of a woman mounted on a wooden block, with her head out and body inside a triangular … Continue reading Reena’s Xploration Challenge #444

Flame in the Waiting Room

Chocolate cake with a lit blue candle on a dining table

Are you the one I lost?But you always lived in my heart-the missing piece in the puzzleon questions about my childrenI look at the sky wistfullysee you romping aroundon grass greener than greenfresher than childhood You survived abortion attemptssometimes in the guise of a lawsometimes a mother's guilt rawbut failed to breathe under arc lightsof … Continue reading Flame in the Waiting Room

Once in a lifetime

Traveler standing in a sea cave overlooking the ocean; text reads “ONCE IN A LIFETIME.”

once in a lifetimeyou will turn back and lookat the footprints of bleeding feetwith volcanoes threatening to burstinside you; and you will know it has beena long way. It is time to chuck it alllike a traveller does, in absence of return faresettle down in the shade, to be cooland invisible once in a lifetimethe … Continue reading Once in a lifetime

Reputation

The scion’s arrest was a major scandal in the township. Joan Gilt’s son was running a drug business inside the hotel his mother built after so much struggle in life. He pleaded innocence with tears in his eyes and his mother’s name on his lips as a shield. The police officer interrogating him said, “You … Continue reading Reputation

Going with the Flow

Rainbow-colored fish emerging from an ornate antique mirror

Slogans are designed to make an emotional appeal. The slogans I heard in my student days reverberated in my mind for decades, especially the one that said: “Justice Delayed, Justice Denied.” I look back at the events in life and feel that certain things happened, but not at the right time. The power that wrote … Continue reading Going with the Flow

Ruins

The cobwebs start susurrating before I put the bag down and open the grilled doors to a neglected past. Everything that once adorned the house has been taken away – the linen, the crockery, the cushions and carpets - leaving behind ruins of the original owner’s expectations. The locker and almirahs were found to be … Continue reading Ruins