Hey 2020, you gave us Corona,
Hey 2020, you gave us Nisarga,
Hey 2020, you gave us Amphan,
Hey 2020, you gave us racism,
Hey 2020, you gave us Hanta,
Hey 2020, you gave us locusts.
2020 we realized that you are tough but my darling we are tougher.
We hope we will successfully mould you into good one.
--Jayalalita B Iyer

2020

wind whines
haze rain
flings dishtowels
dupatta from
balconies.
150 kilometers
from the sea
I feel the chill,
nature bestows
a mini-monsoon,
relief
from summer’s sweltering
tirades.
but what destruction
could this storm, too, bring?