Lamp and Genie

The lamp stays aflame, waiting for the genieCome claim its freedomThe lamp is tired,watching the genie frolic around-multiple masters, numerous assignments-lot of adventure, a grateful clientele. I’ve borne you for 5000 yearsattracted innocents to accidental rubsbecoming Masters of their Fate While I remain sedate, cold or hotMiracle I am, Angel you are notI respect the … Continue reading Lamp and Genie

The road to power

I find him gasping for breath under the bridge. He could barely keep his head above water. “Who threw you under the bus …er bridge?” I feel almost like a monster when asking this. “Pull me out first. I’ll spill the beans.” I haven’t asked for a scoop. I recall his speech in a conference … Continue reading The road to power

Enablers

It is a place where relationships lived, revived or died with conversations. Connectedness was the keyword. Plants in the same space are watered regularly, but are starved of oxygen. What kind of oxygen are you referring to? I remember how I felt renewed and invigorated after hearing your voice. Texts do not have the same … Continue reading Enablers

Choose what grows behind your back

“18 years, and I still remember what happened that fateful night. It is a sight that hasn’t left me ever since.”  “A lot of good things happened after that. Do you celebrate and commemorate those?” “I lived through those like many other people do. But whatever happened that night, happened to me alone.” “And yet, … Continue reading Choose what grows behind your back

Crack the code

This is the place that I once ownedTook pride in idiosyncrasies and quirksThis is where my first joint was rolledYes, it was a place I lived and worked. I knew not when someone wrote a protocolI was expected to work; play to the roleA workplace is not as relaxed as the campusWhen the collar gets … Continue reading Crack the code

Muse or Terror?

The city that never sleeps fascinates me. I walk under the streetlamps like a model walking the ramp under arc lights. I drape a scarf around my frail shoulders in different ways. One night … an invisible force tugs at my scarf. I’m pulled up to the bridge above the lights. It is a new … Continue reading Muse or Terror?

Flirtatious Moon

Flash Fiction

The moon winks just as I start drawing curtains for the night. “Talk to me before a cloud interrupts our conversation,” the invitation is tempting enough to make the curtain rings stop in their tracks. “The night is hearing our inane chatter,” I warn the flirtatious Moon. “Nights turn poetic by absorbing secrets and let … Continue reading Flirtatious Moon

Autumn resplendence departs

Why do memoriesflood terminal, ageing mindsAs if there's nowhere to go? a rain-soaked pictureblurred views with fading eyesightrelevance in reverse gear a sharpened focusto make sense of life gone byDid they enact the right scenes? reminiscencesrepainting past decisionsfor rationalisation Why do stories changeand we call it dementia?Sunsets fleet on horizons. a director's dollposing as the … Continue reading Autumn resplendence departs

Pain

I don’t remember when I cleared the clutter after my exams. Or was it before that? It was not an easy task for a lazy Lulu like me. I don’t recall how much I spent from my scarce pocket money to prepare myself for the exams. I had not learnt the basics of financial planning … Continue reading Pain

Anti-national

“It feels good to be set up as a trap. But it does not feel good when no one falls in the trap.” “Let’s change our names. Maybe we have already gained notoriety.” “They must have flashed our faces on news channels too.” “Change the caps, colour on your hair and pull your cheeks in.” … Continue reading Anti-national