I am the spark of fire
born from animosity.
I do not rue my birth
but transform into
a spark of hope
as I implant myself in
every child
who crosses my path.
I will burn in them
as a light of hope
and humanity,
till they pass me to others.
I will stay alight
with faith and joy
till the end of the world.
I stare at the ceiling, wondering if it is 1 or 2 PM. At the corner of the table is a kerosene lantern, not used for many years. I light it and walk into the night. The creatures of the night hush at the sound of footsteps, but the persistent buzz of a bee holds my attention. The bee hovers around a wild plant; an orange bud. The bud sleeps on, unheeding the bee’s buzz and noise. But, the bee does not give up. It sits on the leaves and bends towards the bud, shaking it. Suddenly, there is a loud hiss. It is not the bee, but the flower. It opens up to reveal a yellow inner part, further illuminated by the lamp. The bee moves home and rekindles in my heart the hope to live.
Dawn
orange bud blooms
baby’s first word
Hi Friends,
My medieval fantasy story, ‘Closed Minds’ was recently published in the Terror House Magazine. This is my third work published in THM. Thank you, Matt, for featuring my short story. Do please click the link below to read it.
“Caesar doesn’t belong with us, Sal,” Clare said firmly.
“Don’t do this. He’d never survive the predators.”
“Don’t deer co-exist with lions?”
“Caesar is domesticated.”
“We are forcing him into domestication.”
“But we treat him as an equal…like a human”
“Humans are not chained. We should let him go.”
They had come to the dense part of the jungle. Clare let Caesar down. He licked her hands and wagged his tail.
“Nobody owns you now, Caesar,” Clare said, softly, “You are free.”
Caesar heard a howl from afar. He took a few tentative steps, then ran into the wild.
This was written for the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge.
Lina looked at the aging blossom in her balcony, eagerly sucking up every drop of rain nature had to offer. The edges of its petals were dark and she could see small holes in the rose. But, it persistently held on. Lina did not know how long she could persist. She thought back to when she was healthy, young, and idle. Now she wanted to make everyday count, no matter how numbered her days were. Determined, she limped painfully from her coffee table to her laptop. Even the morose Robin of the Willow sang with unusual energy and vigor.
This was written for Charli’s Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge. The word prompt for this week is Blossom.
End of spring
two bees cling
to a decayed flower
The clouds tremble in the folds of the sky, scattering droplets in all directions. An oak tree’s branches nod in sympathetic understanding. A few miles from the oak tree stands the rose bush, feeling no such empathy towards the rain. A young leaf suspends itself from the safety of the rose bush and jumps towards freedom, oblivious to the travails of the tough world. The entire rose bush shakes, having lost its newborn. The ever-hungry sea, a little farther away, trembles with desire, as it watches fresh raindrops. The new drops join the salty sea to make energetic ripples, awakening sleepy sea dwellers.
turbulence in sky
big clouds invade
a small cloud
“Wait here. I will be back,” he told me as he walked inside the house, coughing. He stumbled and I heard a loud crash. I wanted to check on him, but he had asked me to wait. I heard a voice sobbing softly. People came and left, wooden-faced. That evening, I smelled lilies and heard the wail of terrifying silence. Everyone from his house came out, except him. I knew where he was kept. Should I follow him? But, he had said he would be back. I waited in the garden, amongst the daisies. He always kept his word.
This was written in response to the prompt at the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction. Write a story to the theme “a dog in the daisies.”
droplets of rain
earth’s wishful mouth
open for torrents
Dear Friends,
My new story, Sal and Vikas, has been published in Kitaab. Do share this short story with your friends if you like it. Thank you:)
