I stood on the precipice, looking out across the barren land, all hope lost. I’d been alone for months, barely surviving. I thought of the life I’d lived before, all the happy times I’d shared with family. One foot hovered over the edge, and stilled. Part of a monologue I’d heard, long ago, came to […]
The monsoon took Mother when I was a little girl. My family repaired cushions in the marketplace, next to the saree merchant. One day, heavy rain brought floods. I scrambled for high-ground, but Mother was overcome, crying, “Aditya.” Then she was gone. I wept for a year. Until at school, we learnt about rain. That […]
Tom resorted to tuck-float position in the middle of a backyard pool, fully clothed. He was attempting to hide from an army of bees hovering above the pool. They were hoping to introduce themselves. He was hoping for them to leave. A couple of seconds for the partying bees felt like an eternity to him. […]
I was taking a turn around the walled gardens this morning, the deciduous forest with its fresh spring leaves the perfect backdrop to the scene. It was early June and warm, despite the early hour. As I passed a patch of peonies, in shades of palest pink with bright yellow stamens, dusky rose and blush […]
Amelia dipped a deep curtsy. “Madam, excuse me for the intrusion but the Marquess asked if you would be attending the dinner party this—” Marchioness Catherine scrunched up her face and wiped her yellowed paintbrush down her lace blouse. “It depends on how long the guests keep me talking, Amelia: they’re terribly unreserved. If I […]
A mystery, whether my journey was a pilgrimage, coming of age or penance. 17th century Japan closed its borders to nurture its culture and likewise, I locked myself off to family, friends and the world in order to develop my mind. Regarding Matsuo Basho as an absent master, I was following in his footsteps. “Footsteps” […]
“My poor darling!” Jhone whispers, as Brita moans in her sleep, longing for home.His love will never bring her peace; Brita belongs to the boundless ocean. When she awakens, he silently hands her the key.Her beautiful face, sculpted by wind and waves, fills with light.He weeps, knowing he can only make her happy by losing […]
He danced wildly. Jiving, jitterbugging, jumping- admittedly at the bus stop! He sang to music in his head, while his hips swayed in a grocery queue. Deeply, he inhaled the flowers- the roses made him giddy, the irises set his soul alight and the gladioli made him dream- by the Masters in the Tate Museum. […]
Placing the bouquet of pink peonies, her grandmother’s favourite flowers, beside the headstone, she was reminded of something her grandmother had once told her. “They symbolise good luck and prosperity.” But it was her grandmother’s words, on her eighteenth birthday, that had navigated her future. Stroking the honey bronze enamel body and wings, encrusted with […]
I am a happy man. I am a wealthy man. I have everything a man could desire. My bamboo raft and basket, always filled with fish enough to share. My faithful black-winged cormorant, who does the diving and catching. Moss and rocks, my beloved mountains, gathered round me. Mornings soft with promise; evenings rich with […]
This was exactly where we stood last year, muddying the waters with our immature: “I don’t know, let’s just go with the flow.” The tide turned. But the sky quickly greyed again, as it always had. Promises were made. We tried to hold it together for sunnier days, for another possible rainbow, but poor choices— […]
On good days, Mom sings as she cooks luxurious breakfasts. We run downstairs to kisses and hugs and a warm kitchen. Today, the house is quiet and cold, filled with a grey fog that’s almost visible.I slip into her bedroom to check on her. “Beth,” she sobs. ” I’m lost – drowning in my own […]
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