Chattering noises and people Pointing their fingers at us to say ‘Look! Look! There’s a cat!’ As I scurry to not miss the last flight But my cat doesn’t understand why. Moving here, her fluff found purpose. In latitudes, we went up higher, But in degrees way way lower. …

Missing comes in waves. Even as one recedes, The other has already arrived To kiss and bid adieu To the shore that waits forever. Each time the swirling water leaves To the onlooker, nothing changes But the grains of sand have shifted In vain attempt to embrace The emotional tide that cannot be. Life thrives in this turbulence Tenants on the coast don’t complain Of the wave that brings, or carries Oxygen and life or pure destruction. Littoral existence is neither languid nor lazy.

Every moment that passes by Fleeting, fleeing, and flying, While we simply wait or lie Is also standing still With a promise to fulfill. Sometimes glass can crack, Yet remain miraculously whole Concealing what is broken, Playing tricks with the light, And containing to its best might. Abandoned in the…

I dreamed that I dreamed in a dream Of drifting through soft summer rain, Pouring incessant in my noisy mind, As I looked for a place without pain. First, I found myself stranded on Lilliput In all ignorance, feeling grandly esoteric. I was then on Aladdin’s magic carpet Looking at all that was phantasmagoric. I took a stroll through forgotten hollows As my body lay ensconced in deep sleep And, my spirit wandered away free. Slow. The ascent to being present? So steep.

I stood still breath-taken to behold Hidden mysteries in the landscape More than was in lore foretold. From overwhelm to find escape- Taking a sip of dewy air so cold And feeling the rising on my nape Into the mist that lain the mountains a shroud I poured all of my sorrow out loud.

A poem — I can’t seem to remember Were the walls papered blue? With tiny flowers thereupon? My memories are irregular. About this place, I used to call home. I can’t point to pins on maps. I don’t recall the address. Then, my imagination steps in To fill in the vacant gaps. About…

Thank you Mariam for your kind words. This has been a very humbling experience for me, and writing about it helps find a way out for my anguish.

I am an international student living away from home. This is my opinion on the vaccine wedge. Every day, I scroll through different websites providing information on visas, vaccine acceptance, quarantine rules, PCR test requirements. I am not looking for a way to travel for fun or leisure, but simply…

A cobweb closed in on her - Ugh, a sticky strangle. Be civilized, they said. “Here, wear this bangle.” Teach her how to live! It's the only way. They said, “Make your skirts longer, And your colors, milder.” “Uh oh, smile, please — Na ah, not too much. Don’t dance…