I ate a poem today

I ate a poem todayNo, I hold nothing against the poetIt was accidentalI was holding a page openand I dozed off. The poem spoke to mein my sleepas it could notduring my waking hours It had permeatedlayers of the subconsciousto find connecting pointswhy did I underline certain partswith a not-so-sharp, old pencil The poem re-emergedin … Continue reading I ate a poem today

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #427

Welcome back! PROMPT #427 Here's an image prompt for you this week. Image: AI-generated There is no restriction on the length of the piece. There is no last date unless you wish to be featured in the Weekly Wrap. We will not include any posts that are found to be offensive, vulgar, or that hurt … Continue reading Reena’s Xploration Challenge #427

Patriarchal Societies

Gerard sekoto- woman with downcast eyes

Your beautiful eyescarry a shame – it’s not yours Mirrors do not show flawsso accusing fingers can’t see theirs-it will take your eyes to seeand your courage to speakto tell themthey are tainted Whatever venom they spewThe underlying instinct is the sameYou dared to stay out of the chorussing their tunefollow their instructions they don’t … Continue reading Patriarchal Societies

Amnesia

youth smiled thro’ tightened expressionsof amnesia;made people wonderwhat the accident did to him. He had stopped digging into an unhappy pastevery nightand emerging years olderin the morning with no past to rememberhe farmed fresh memoriesevery day Quadrille #246

You know when …

When you struggle to reach up there and findThe gods have turned their faces away,You know it was an error of judgment—to trust the vision from afar. Between the halo and the face lies shadow,a gulf of silence no prayer can cross.The smile you worshipped dissolvesinto the cold indifference of apathy. Yet from that fracture … Continue reading You know when …

Layered truths

The night calls out, wanting to take me in its fold. It holds dark secrets Patriarchy, injustice, un-blossomed buds, unfulfilled dreams, muffled voices Those voices warn me not to come in just to become another relic in a dark history glorified as culture. “Some of us lived in darkness, some saw the light but were … Continue reading Layered truths

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #426

Welcome back to changing seasons! Summer has hit us earlier than expected, and it is sultry, not a song. I like to think it has something to do with the heat generated on the world stage. But how does that matter? PROMPT #426 Here is a quote from Ayn Rand's lesser-known novel- We the Living. … Continue reading Reena’s Xploration Challenge #426

Frogs

An impeccable profile-analytical at the core-liberal just enough to include others’ quotesto support your views… A closer look revealsfeet sunk in the depths of a wellwhere the frogs know no other language but their own They croak, they malign, they vilify, they demonisean outside voiceThey never know what the world is made of other than … Continue reading Frogs

Bubbles

Bubbles are bound to burst someday. We driftinside their shimmer, mistaking the fragile glowfor life. The fault is never with love, but our illusionof permanence makes it seem sothe heartbreak when it dissolvesbrings us out of an intoxicated state. Can we imagine ourselves beyond,unbound, choosing freely,discovering the core once expectations fall away? This is where … Continue reading Bubbles

Punctured

Hot air balloons of mutual expectationspuffed up with speeches and self-importance,hover like parade floats of borrowed virtue. One jab of realitysharp as a safety pinand the grand spectacle collapses,leaving the stench of heartbreakand a crumpled, wasted life Image credit - Lillian OLN at dVerse