Doors Shut

closed doors mock my decisionsYou are blockedscreams every entrance-angry paths locked beyondswear silentlynot cuss wordsbut indifference those were not decisionsjust an escapefrom the unbearablebaggage on my back neither you nor mewere travellers with a mapnot burning with ambitionnot rowing a boatnot on the driving seatjust coasting alongwishing on stars what stares back at us todaynot … Continue reading Doors Shut

Rapids

Arjun, Khushi, Sammy and Anshula had just stepped out of the calm waters of school life, their marksheets still fresh, their dreams of becoming doctors glowing like lanterns. It was their first week in the medical college hostel. At night, the seniors gathered like shadows, their voices echoing through the corridors. “Sing the anatomy song!” … Continue reading Rapids

Glamour Meets Gloom

Young woman with disheveled hair and smeared makeup standing in a doorway at night

One glance was enough to say she was not her usual self – dishevelled hair, runny mascara, lipstick in ageing lines around the mouth. “Another late night, I presume … you slept without removing your makeup?” She made an effort to adjust the strap on her shoulder, but the slip hanging below her knees was … Continue reading Glamour Meets Gloom

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #442

Welcome back! PROMPT #442 We have a few common words to ponder about this week, and use those to write something. It is not necessary that the word is the theme of the piece. Just a mention speaks a lot about how you treat it. Light — What truths emerge when the weight of light … Continue reading Reena’s Xploration Challenge #442

Time and God

It flows with me, but I can’t keep pace with it. I am a dot. I ask the river to carry my story to the oceans. It accepts by touching my hand lowered over the guardrail. The sun takes away a part of it, and clouds rain somewhere else. Other stories are curious and want … Continue reading Time and God

I don’t wanna write

It is not easy to learn ancient languages, especially those that are not in vogue now. They carry history – not just dates, but culture, emotions and compulsions. One wonders why they did whatever they did, and then, the answer pops out of someone’s monologue. The fears that shackled their mindsets, and the hope that … Continue reading I don’t wanna write

Sir Swollen Ego, sorry Swellimpedidoo

Whatever became of Sir Swellimpedeedoo?He breathed his last on a visit to the zooSocial networks published the newsA few turned up for his last viewEverybody who was somebody attended too He didn’t do good to anyone but himselfNor did he cut out incompetent croniesThis much is true!Everybody who was somebody long agoturned up to see … Continue reading Sir Swollen Ego, sorry Swellimpedidoo

Webs

Black hole at the center with swirling luminous gases and cosmic dust around it in deep space.

PARATAXIS It is hazy. It has no definable colour or shape. It has a pattern – known but never acknowledged. It is the web of tiny lies spun like a yarn to clothe truth. It is the black hole that will explode rather than reveal its secrets. The Emperor’s new clothes are the grandest spun … Continue reading Webs

The Perfect Myth

Glass prism hanging in the sky dispersing sunlight into a rainbow beam

Perfection is nothing but a goal, and goalposts can shift. It feels good when I move it and challenge myself to excel at something I’ve not tried before. It breaks and bends my effort like a heavy boulder on the back when imposed, and we get busy rationalising why it is all wrong and will … Continue reading The Perfect Myth