I condensed a piece I'd written in 2017 for this prompt. This is Reena Saxena signing off. If your world thrives on manipulation, multiplespeak, and mindless evil, I refuse to be part of it. I do not accept your authority, nor will I bow to Satanic rites disguised as insight. You wear masks, gather protection, … Continue reading Sign-Off
The map in my hand glows with certainty, its arrow unwavering; yet every path I choose threatens to disembark me. I walk anyway, trusting momentum over intuition. The wind translates my intentions into a poem, but scatters my signals like static. Still, something in the distance keeps calling—soft, patient, as if it knew I would … Continue reading Disembarked
The camera on my computer plays gamesI see myself bald in a cancer wardsitting on my chair dressed for workI ask my colleagues what they seeThey reply with a forlorn faceMaybe you should skip work and rest… A nurse appears who looks like meWith a luminous bandage for my soulThe device takes me to a … Continue reading Healing
Granny loved experimenting with emojis, and her incorrect usage was often a subject of humour in the family. She learnt FaceTime long before Zoom arrived, to stay in touch with her grandchildren who lived abroad. Then, one day, the emoji pack she had downloaded disappeared from her phone. Maybe one of her grandkids decided to … Continue reading Gold
It’s a pleasure to see flowers bloom in the unlikeliest of places. Look at the reflection. Water carries memories, and its freshness will go a long way toward touching all those who use or consume it. I see rocky reflections too… Take a deep breath, pause and watch the rocks float. They are not as … Continue reading It’s not what you look at, but what you see
Doors that open or closeDoors that respond to knocksor don’t-each door hides a storystories that deserve a mentionor a coffin underground Did their hearts stop beatingor I chose to un-listen?-decibels well-adjustedbelow my hearing range Did they migrate to receptive soilsor transmute to strange forms?Each act of mine speaks volumes.Each word echoes the underground What lies … Continue reading Ab initio, Ad Infinitum
Loops offer reconciliation with established patterns and estranged elements. They sat on the picnic table to share a packed lunch, and looked into each other’s eyes before they solemnised the bond. Unfortunately, they could never see eye to eye on anything after that. Tangents are invitations to take off somewhere in the unknown; they attract … Continue reading Loops and Tangents
“Arches in architecture always fascinate me – under a bridge, on doorways or elsewhere. At another level, the arc tempts me to complete the circle and let people jump in”. “Passing through an arch brings good luck”, chimes in my mother as the temple bells ring. “Then why do you pray for good luck after … Continue reading Arches
He realized that she had seen him and he couldn’t let her get away. This is a hackneyed story plot for a thriller, and the author decides to ditch the familiar today. The protagonist follows her to see what she is up to after seeing him. He is ever grateful to that momentary thought. He … Continue reading The story goes on
She sat in the chair, just staring off into space. She wondered if Neil could see her from his spaceship. Maybe he is out on a spacewalk. “It is not easy”, he had told her, “it takes a lot of practice to experience nothingness.” She rummaged inside to check what her feelings were like. Is … Continue reading Confronting the Real
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