Sweet nectar trickles down my chin,
The knife slips in sticky hands,
A nibble here, a lick there,
Sparks memory,
Of golden deliciousness of summers past,
scoldings from Mum for unrepentant gluttony,
Tangy sour smells of unripe fruit,
Swings swaying under the Mango tree
And a childhood happy as can be
~ Kriti Mishra

She took a hesitant first step
Closer to bay.
Sand crunched under her toes,
And cold slapped her ankles,
As a wave broke upon the shore.
Receding waters,
Left her tilting like creaking post,
Overburdened with laundry.
Surprised, she jumped backwards
Retreating to the sane solid ground.
But sanity lost,
To the wild, tempestuous sea.

Draped in bridal red
Amidst widowed landscapes she stands
With her veil swaying gently in the breeze
And blossoms tinkling at her feet
Fractured light decorates her
Revealing rubies hiding in her tresses
She brings forth her veil
Shading weary scorched souls
An oasis
Amidst desolate desert sands
The forest fire rages
Against fate which brought upon us this drought
Rekindling hope
Of new birth and mercy
And rages
Until it's time for gentle showers and soothing greens
Then tired
Sleeps until the end of spring

Almond eyes,
Brown eyes,
Ringed in the colors of the sea,
Happy, carefree.

Almond eyes,
Brown eyes,
Wrinkled and crinkled,
Tired and weary.

Almond eyes,
Brown eyes,
Looking out of a sepia toned photograph,
Faded and dusty.

Almond eyes,
Brown eyes,
Three women,
Three lives,
Kindred spirits,
Through the sands of time,
Looked out to the sea.

Wrap me in teals, corals and turquoise of the oceans,
Envelop me in veils of azure,
Drape me in verdant hues of the forest,
Swathe me in the crimson of sunsets,
Embroider my robes with fuchsia, amber and plum,
Hide twinkling diamonds in the folds to play hide-and-seek like stars on a cloudy night,
Nestle amidst my tumbled chestnut, bronze hair,
Emeralds, sapphires, amethysts and pearls,
Woven together with gossamer threads of cool silver and sun-drenched gold,
Tuck away violets, jasmines and orange blossoms into my crown,
Cocooned in their sweet fragrance,
Cloaked in Nature's splendor,
Leave me in solitude,
Where the skies embrace the seas,
Away from the rusty hues of blood and steel,
From ash, charcoal and misery,
From drab taupes, dingy olives and mousy browns of normalcy,
Let me revel in jewel tones,
Colors as flamboyant as me.

Pleat, pleat, pleat,
Fix that drape,
Cantankerous petticoat,
Is all bent out of shape,
The mirror jeers,
That's a singularly inelegant drape,
What are you gawping at,
It's time to undrape,
Watch those ankles,
Stop dancing like an ape,
How hard could it be,
To simply undrape,
In walked Mum,
Her mouth agape,
Laughing uproariously,
Got me shipshape

I finally laid her to rest.
Once keeper of all the secrets I possessed.
Red ran down her silvery talons in thin rivulets.
Salty sobs burned the **** she left on my breast.

As thunder put paid to my tranquility,
I ventured out of my darkened room,
Into my fecund garden,
Amidst blooms I'd lovingly brought forth,
Unblemished, unexceptional.
Fraught with anxiety,
I searched,
For peace, joy, equanimity.
And then the Gale brought me,
A shock of pink.
A battered displaced bloom,
Torn from home by violent gusts of wind,
Left to the mercies of strangers,
Disparate, unconnected,
Yet vivid, ablaze.
Ephemeral perhaps,
But substantial.