“The longing to touch…I feel gratitude when I touch someone — as well as affection etc. The person has allowed me proof that I have a body — and that there are bodies in the world. — Susan Sontag, from As
With a towel wrapped around her wet hair, Mariam stood in her closet, trying to figure out what shalwar kameez to wear to the family dinner. She rummaged through, passing all the bright-coloured ones and landed on a black one. She
“Saleem!” Ami called from the kitchen. “Your friends are almost here. Quickly go and grab a dozen eggs from the barn”. I swiftly hurried down the clay stairs, absorbing their coolness as I went through the blazing morning sun that kept donating
Wild Meadows We were allowed To laugh, but not loud Hushed, the windows must be closed Mind the door, not ajar. It took mind to defy and speak The heart always believed That it was love I was protected and valued. I
Sky shelters the magic bowls that wrapped. Drizzle dances Ahead of street lights. Stillness of the wet city Breeze and chilly. Carving bundles Of memories. I could sense-even a city has nerves Of such emotions. A mid-night sounds Of heavy rain drops.
The Bonsai She opened the shining gift wrap And delighted she was to find that exotic bonsai. The beautiful tree so carefully tamed to be dwarfed with gentle love that it was contented inhibited. Excited, she asked friends and the internet some
Snow capped purple mountains I see, Whispering a melody for me to feel. The fresh perfumery scent of the Fraser Fir, soothe my lungs in fragment fresh air. Sun dips beyond the hazy mountain range; glow of the rising moon doth search
If I were blonde like those princesses from non-woke Disney productions (or more realistically like my fair haired father) it might’ve turned an icy, silvery white like a piece of moonlight frozen by magic or accident and somewhat like the silver tilla
I’ ever toot though ‘m genuine. Do, remember my summer? Rounded three paired chairs, Fourteen I was, eight we’re Grands, brothers and hens. Crew cries if I break Grand says” lavender-Girl” Once A new beard left My pink breast started To feed.
The poem bears the same title as the late poet Nissim Ezekiel’s poem and is a take on it. To force the winged creatures to be still For an enduring photograph Is not the way for those who Want to ‘capture’
He who burnt me to become the best poet! Because of her unstoppable gift for poetry writing, he courted her. He believed that she would have composed her best verses for someone else. Her muse made his life one of content
The emarald eyed banjaaran Offers green bangles to me. Where do you get the glass from? I ask her, now crystal eyed. From my tears, says she. I watch the clear gluey stream. Where do you get the green from? I ask
1. “Mom left? What do you mean by mom left?” Aman screamed, still standing. The early morning breeze flowing through the huge French-sized window on the opposite wall seemed to have warmed in an instant. Dad looked at him, his eyes were
PART 1 It was 8 O’Clock on a cold morning in December. The chilling gusts crossed the door and windows and froze her feet and hands. She was sitting confused and afraid on a wooden chair placed in the corner
My poetry is about that fire known as language, which a woman carries under water. Anar Anar’s voice is distinct in the arena of contemporary Tamil poetry. Hailing from Sainthemaruthu, Eastern Sri Lanka, Anar’s poems has a mesmerising allure. Anar’s poems are
I am in a transcendental trance Of transmutation To transnationalism From nationalism To translatability of cultures And translanguaging! From monolingualism To transhistoricity From historical binaries To transmission of the viruses Of love for humanity! To emancipation From translucent biases To
Sometimes my aunts sit around the stove And talk about their husbands in shy whispers While they talk about countries and their fall in another room This is how it has been ever since I was a child The demarcation
The time I spent with my father for years Never expressing my love for him Making me unease The moment I realised It’s time to go This transition seems easy to the rest As he is the one with I
‘Mother, to suckle and suckle insatiably The milk sentient from thy life breast’ —Subramania Bharati in Krishna – My Mother Alamelu, my mother, is a small made woman. But from her childhood, heavy burdens were placed on her shoulders.
My grandma was the first woman to be part of the newly built road. She had only one milch cow. A calf. (I took them grazing on the grass.) Four five hens that laid eggs for us. Boiled egg and
Cousin Freddie I’ve spoken often of the black sheep I know (if anybody is the black sheep of their family, I surely am) but let me devote some time here to one of the good eggs. Let me mention
“A well read woman is a dangerous creature,” it says and how about she who writes? to say absolutely nothing of her who should but cannot! Even though she must, she must, she must if she is to leave behind
When I was a little girl, I had a crush on the boy down the road. We’d walk home from school together. He still wouldn’t know that I held on to every moment the two of us had known. Wondered many nights
“Fix everything in the apartment, my parents can’t know you practically live here,” Mariam said to her boyfriend, Steve, before getting ready to take her parents to a Father’s Day breakfast. “I will, don’t worry,” Steve said, rolling out of
Unstoppable were her wings And each morning she woke up to fly Like a coo-coo, she could sing And aloud she would neigh She jumps, she dances And she loves to fly She delights it so when she glances, Down the
Abba was the kind of man you see every day, the kind you see, work with and watch him pass by, maybe even attend his daughter’s marriage reception. But Abba wasn’t the kind of man who’d incite any excitement in
It was almost past 5 O’clock. However, the lifts weren’t as crowded as many building officers worked on a roster due to the pandemic. I walked across the narrow alley to get the 174 bus. As usual, the receptionist on
Springing up from the ink of the lifeless lines sketched on the architect’s map the four walls started growing swiftly. Layer upon layer of bricks and mortar kept tearing the open into an inside and an outside. Strong they stood
The year was 2012. Exams were near. The day after was our exam. My sister and I locked ourselves up in a room and sat with cups of half-drunk tea and notes for the exam. It was past midnight. Umma, tired of
Waiting for the Haripriya Express The train connecting the god of creation To his consort, the goddess of wealth Is late by a half hour; Men who shed their manes In utter devotion Utter curses under their breaths; I read
before the streets smell rain an eye spies an opening in the clouds the gaze curdles anticipation, traces a metronome louder than a bomb. fear splays the sun into smithereens spreading laughter into the sky I spoke to him once about
I want to walk my hands swinging long and free if these roads were not cobbled eyes but spun trees flowers would become fences or paths at my feet I want to suspend thought wear old jeans pull that thorn
The interview was supposed to start at ten in the morning. A worried Bushra in a cream coloured shalwar kameez paced the room in anticipation. What questions will the interviewer ask? How will she answer those questions? Will there be any
“In this highly electronic and techno era, where fundamentals, manners and charisma are dwindling from the sector who claims as human beings; somewhere in a corner of the globe lived a child…….” I was drained and exhausted this evening after work
beyond the window a net of roots stitches the creek bank to battered earth. red dust swirls, seeds lie in cracks and crevices patient for rain. paddocks of brittle stalks fill the space between us, overhead a crow flaps its
Accha (Okay, fine) Five monokus i. Sometime fatigue assumes I. I sometimes assume fatigue. Accha. ii. Sometimes I wobble. Dog’s food dispenser, full, unreachable. Accha. iii. Soggy heap of clothes on the floor. On fours searching for nuggets. Accha. iv.
About a week before the Berlin Wall came down I had a bit of a bizarre premonition. It came over me as my father and I were watching that old news analysis show on television, Agronsky And Company. “The Wall’s coming
That First day and first sight You were wrapped in a shawl Coloured as pink, green and white Your smile I met was so nice All senses I caught were soothing As if this tranquillity was gifted from the skies It seemed
I’ve only ever been at home in blizzard, the electric pink dollar store glitter eyeshadow slant of it. Make no mistake God is black and trans. I’ve seen her pink slippers slide in drifts, her matching boa off the
sound of rain fills the gaps between one blink and the next waiting for the storm to pass among shadows in their heads thunder a crescendo of drumfire lightning jags rupture the bloated sky viewed through muddled branches in the
Everybody has their childhood memories, which cannot be erased by any means or will never disappear but will be stored forever somewhere around in their hard disk. The 90s kids have been blessed in many ways. They are the generation
Graphite pencil art by Anthony Gartmond, New Jersey, USA Child: I see you. I see you, a soft bundle of heaven. A melodious dreamland in a tender wrap. One I imagined you’d be handed to me in for the first time.
A thoughtful narrative of the events in 1979 that influenced the Middle East and Southeast Asia Black Wave, a book authored by Kim Ghattas, a Dutch – Lebanese journalist for the BBC for the past 20 years, hit the shelves on 17th
My mother and I don’t ask each other Deep Questions. How are you? Did you have lunch? Did your client pay you? How’s the weather? Did you exercise today? Dad asked about you. Stay Safe. This is the gamut of
Is it fine with you, love, to live and negotiate through the language of oblivion? It’s a separate matter that this is yet another love story for you. And you can tell us, re-tell, re-tell more tales. Some know parts
I hated sleeping in India while travelling for a friend’s wedding. a foreign bedroom of sweltering heat enveloped my sticky body as I restlessly slapped pesty mosquitoes rambling in my ear. to my left, a competition took place between the
Everything is dirty, No matter you keep, Wiping with mop, Or wash it away with water. It keeps coming back, Mumbling grudging, Haunting the house, With its all-swarming presence. The books on the shelf, Are all dusty again, Like
Demure steps pacing up the stairs, my mother sashayed Across a room scented claustrophobia Trailblazer Her mellow rebels watched over Of ripe mounds dangling precarious Hummed into birched silence Blobs That hid cankerous worms, of the immolations She would, Bury
Some fruits were not meant for cutting Formed when stones were soft and Birth was still a kind of bursting See how wild fig flesh bruises when cut By these alien knives, Unschooled in surgical assault No, that firm tart flesh next
Coming home from school. To an empty house. Sometimes we’d forget the key. We were still kids. Five and six. Our neighbouring friends would help us break through the window screens. The ones to keep all the bugs in Australia
Lament of a Wounded Dove See onto my wings These feathers are broken and Claws tied with iron strings I’m showered in the blood Of blameless Orphan children, and of widows of wars Far-sighted from heights Beneath the smoke of
You wake up early on school days. You have chores to do, before you prepare for school. You see your dad walk around, reading the newspaper and drinking black coffee as you wake up. You go and sit by him as
These Lengthy nights of winter Like a bird which sings in the drizzle Won’t sleep without the warmth of your memories. The heart where I hold Your pose which was Twenty years old Still moist… Evening sunlit wafting from the kitchen window.
Once when I was young and afoot in an unknown city and was refused lodgings in an abandoned factory and had nowhere to turn I thought I understood the things of the night. But, no, I did not. And, then
They are his sounds – the rhythmic stutter of a snore the start of a child squeak of wheels on asphalt as the water drum is dragged down the street. The flapping of tarp as the homeless pile under its
What message did we spurn this night? Whose body did we burn this night? All men in town are godly men. For godliness, I yearn this night. That night they killed my soulfulness. It is my body’s turn this night. This
How my heart beats With the throbs of Lahore! How the beloved streets Embrace! when the whole world Sleeps in deep slumber How the ebb and flow Of day-night movements Make the city gleam … While the people dream Of
How long will I hear waves of violence, blown and tossed by the wind? How long will I look at the face of injustices mirrored in the hill? How long must I smell burns of oppression clung against my will?
I’m pouting a Fibonacci sequence, a phyllotaxis of impatience, a fern unfurling, the fine pout of a pineapple sprout Don’t you know that the Golden Spiral is just my pout while waiting for you, my pine to uncurl you The
from the ledge George Street traffic throbs vehicles thread towards sunset crowds weave neon flashes noise ebbs and flows there’s peace here among clouds among cooing pigeons returning to roost far from demands and fists a helicopter hovers overhead she spreads her
The distress signals the 24/7 newsfeed daily brings us Of rapes, molestations, harassment at workplace, domestic violence, eve-teasing, dowry-oriented bride burnings, female foeticides, sexual abuse, trafficking, child marriages, enforced prostitution, incantation of a ‘word’ terminating relationships made in heaven blackmail and
‘How did you like the film?’ asked Isha. The morning assembly had just ended; now, the students were filing in queues to their respective classrooms. Isha was right ahead of Prapti in their class queue. Isha’s question made her replay the entire
sHE, Her limbs drawn in patterns Knitted from his egoist Hands, Zigzag, Yet demanded to be Flawless. Remarks of ancestral womanhood Slit her breasts into two, One for Him and other For His child. Clutched, pressed, sucked, What’s left for her More
Did you know that Karma reads all your thoughts? Karma was always watching me vigorously, always beside me. The greyhound sleeping on the doormat will always see through your heart. I couldn’t hide from the glance of the bearded black
White paper don’t stare at me Never crumple you, I guarantee Don’t fly away, When the breeze sways Stay on the old oak desk Tip of the quill is not fake Quill of pain Need you more than I The
Ernie is another one of those characters that I knew over the years here in Frederick. It happened that he was stuck in New York City during his teenage years on a trip from his native Europe when World War One broke
The Espresso Bar in Graphite pencil art by Anthony Gartmond, New Jersey, USA All dressed and out. High heels tick-ticking between hide, membrane, and cloth, barely touching, just hinting. So were the shades and lights, and the froths in the cups
A gold shell portrayal of 1830, Clasps firmly on all motile days, The oozing watercolours of time, And History. In it: A look behind the curtain, Clarifies to the vision, An era of feisty patriarchy, And tempestuous wars. In it: An intimately
Lately, I’ve been thinking about my Korean upbringing. One defining word always comes to mind.Duty; Expectation; Tradition; For the family name. Okay, so I guess more than one word pops up. But my fellow Asians get it. From an early age, my
working mom when will papa learn to part my hair right …. rearranging itself around me patriarchy …. cancelled engagement was I wrong in asking to keep my maiden name …. arranged marriage an aunt hands me fairness cream …. arranged
A wonderfully warped journey into one man’s unravelling psyche, and a joyous celebration of the necessity of story. – James Bradley, author of Ghost Species A phantasmagoric, avant-garde story set in a lost New York, Richard James Allen’s More Lies both entertains
With less ahead than behind she begins to select what will fill this old house past her tenure & what will be left behind for clearance, burning or salvage precise distillation of spirit in the cauldron of words better to prepare
I remember the dream on that Midnight. A train passed into my room. Inside my house. Many came in and out, a bunch of Sheets with inks, some blood. Some carried golden pens and Letters. Train named “Dead Poets”, received me that
I came in listening to oak and snow and walking in them. I was closest to having them tell me their names when I was three. Then school started and interrupted me. Made me articulate and write names for things like days
The Afghans Did not rape her or slit her breasts You did Still, you blame the Afghans And the Afghans Did not with iron rods, impale her You did Still, you blame the Afghans The Afghans did not push stones
The flight had landed ten minutes ahead of schedule. Mobile phones came on, and a cacophony of conversation began. No one heeded the requests from the crew about waiting to open the overhead lockers storing the luggage. As passengers on a
The full moon Drags the tides The waves dance To and fro I feel I could drown in a Puddle Or I feel like I could dance In a crescent moon Life is like that At times The fish swim
Title: What’s Wrong with us Kali Women? Author: Anita Nahal Page: 94 ISBN: 978-1-954353-88-6 (Paperback) Edition: (2021) Published by Kelsay Books. 502 South 1040 East, A-119. American Fork, Utah, 84003. Reviewed by: Dr Sutanuka Ghosh Roy The history of Indian
I stand before the mirror Watching the comb work itself upon My hair. Partitioning them in strands That fall and fissure apart. The teeth, Of the comb press down upon the scalp My medicated one Not the one, victory borne
Last night, while reading out a Gaelic verse to me, She said she’d wanted to see a golden shower tree! We discussed how long it had been since we were out last time, Perhaps even longer since we saw
Editor: Sarita Jenamani. Publisher: Dhauli Books, India ‘Guilt is not only for evildoers’ is a line in the poem of Punjab based Nalini Priyadarshni. But what to do with this overwhelming bad feeling of guilty womanhood, everywhere; East, West, North and in
No endearing book, No kind people, No beautiful flower, Neither a fascinating garden, Nor the sweet-smelling breeze. Quite often even the hands don’t Glow with the mustard of Heena, Sometimes one gets nothing, Nothing happens that, Can
For the re-telling of this tale, “The Kiss of Judas”, I made my preliminary notes from the Holy Bible. But I also borrowed some facts from the Gospel of Judas. It is the latter text that mentions that Judas purchased a field
Come my child and feed on these breasts This time maybe my milk will come I’ve removed the scabs, cleaned up the blood The doctor says if you suckle enough My body will answer your hunger Come my child, help
I have paid the price For being what I am, I proclaim with pride. I have withstood icy glances, Burning words, entombing silences; Merciless shutting of emotional doors; Smouldering resentment that flashed cruelly Like bloodstained swords in battle;
Somewhere over the blue Pacific, I lost my Indian accent it tumbled out of me into the crashing surf I was born again as a true American, a California girl. Grey coastal fog, fields of strawberries and freeway traffic
The Painting in graphite pencil is by Artist Anthony Gartmond, New Jersey, USA Pour yourself some scotch. Pour yourself some water. Pour yourself some erudition from the Tree of Souls, and I’ll listen. Pour yourself some ire, some envy, some conceit, and
Prologue The Fork in the kitchen rack knew a dark secret. Something gruesome. Still, the Fork was a forced ally. Aye! that was it. A muted ally. A cold friend who was her solace. Stealthily, the footsteps would approach
Tapes are the comrades to simplicity. cassette click. Margherita pizzas our incense. indeed a mouldy remnant of earlier times but the only place left to see long gone family like mufasa from the lion king. an era of
Turning into text the image of an impulsive act I place it upon the glass table of my cabin While combing my hair a strand falls upon the text. Turning passionately into a bird The text breaks open the
For Happy New Year I heard last night, Oh it’s time for new beginnings. But I slept before New Year. People wished me a good LUCK, But I slept before New Year. I Ended my Year before New Year, I SLEPT BEFORE
Vellamaathi and her son Thalamuthu resolved to leave the palm garden-at present, there was only the label but hardly for the fact, was there any trace of one such a garden. To illustrate the Palmyra garden and its reality, not even
The thought of Régis Debray Is not for everyone you know Well, it’s complicated, Each thought setting off Trajectories multiple, Prancing, forward Régis Debray! we who are about to die Salute thee, in the face of Torture, death, impalement, castration The
Push me! Pull me! Maul me! Haul me! I’m old I’m frail Do you reckon I’m easy prey, because my hair’s turned grey? Oh! you slight mighty men Don’t you be fooled you can drive me away! Shame on you! With
In Shepherdstown, West Virginia, over on the side of a mountain, overlooking the roaring waters of a river below and just beyond the meeting of three states in my country, there stands a restaurant serving traditional German dishes with German
The perfume bottle was once, Filled with colourful liquid, Lying down on the dressing table, It once had a life of its own. Now seems empty with empty hopes, Lying down without colour and light, That coloured perfumed water, Vanished
“We’ll be back soon,” as I called aloud, Easwari stepped over the threshold. “I so badly want to join you both and seek their blessings. But it so happens that I just cannot come with you. What can I do,” she
The advocacy of equality Socio-political, economic, cultural, Radical to aesthetic And now intersectional In the enlightened 21st century Still laments for Qahat-ur-Rijal…
A WHOLE NEW WORLD ‘I can open your eyes Take you wonder by wonder Over, sideways and under On a magic carpet ride’ The tabletop fountain in the middle of the warm room calmed her down. Jasmine took a deep breath