She scrolls past threads tangled in rage. Her silence is deliberate. She refuses to get involved in toxic conversations or vulgar counter-attacks. Elegance is refusal to enter a fruitless debate. Yet across the digital din, another voice erupts: “Elegance be damned. I need to speak my mind. Volcanoes are erupting inside me for decades.” Two … Continue reading Impact
She carried the quote in her mind like a secret scripture: “Lightning without thunder.” Her anger lived in that silence, a storm that lit her veins but never broke into sound. Each act of hers was a part of a well-crafted routine; every gesture of hers was polished calm. Her revenge was not loud—it was … Continue reading Without
She did not know what delicate meant until she felt the pressure and assessed her capacity to withstand it. She did not fear Power until the intense heat threatened to wither her away. She made no effort to avert deceit because she did not see a reason for anyone wanting to harm her. Curiosity drove … Continue reading Shadows lengthened
The genie emerged only when someone wiped off the dust of stories from the lamp. She felt suffocated in there, especially because she was punished for no fault of hers. The claustrophobia had also compelled her to look inwards and find a light beyond what the lamp could imagine. She was destined to be a … Continue reading The Power of Ideology
She measured the countless hours of dedicated painting on the walls. He was sweating, but cheerful under a bright sun. He was weary, but inspired under cloudy skies. It was her job to shield him and his work from the vagaries of nature. At times, she held the lights at night because a deadline was … Continue reading Accused
“I can’t believe you want to refuse this coveted invitation. I have got my outfit ready.” She looked disappointed as she applied the night cream. “You have no clue about business games, Sara. These star-studded parties are a bubble created by the PR team.” “What do they gain by spending millions?” “They are setting up … Continue reading Show Windows
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
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