Once again, the eight-year-old me is standing under the mantle staring up at that serious, soft-eyed person in the picture. Sometimes, when passing through this room, I glance up and smile. Other times, I fear he is watching me as if he is judging. When no one is around, I return his gaze and try ...

Life thrives in color And lung and breath Memories through yarn Spun like candy floss. She was born in Silver And tarnish In the dark. Just one piece of a Whole. Which neither consumes Nor creates Just regurgitates. Sorrow is a mirror While peace is So shallow. To live is to exist And we all ...

We returned to Chicago, and Mummy gave her consent to proceed with the wedding as planned. Everything is now rushed, but it turned out well. It’s a quiet affair, a simple ceremony with flowers, candles, and champagne at the Unitarian Church. Words by Dr. Gibbons from the Bible fall soft as petals. Kelly reads passages ...

Upon hearing of Daddy’s demise, John and I rush to call Mummy in Ottawa, Canada. Mummy reminds us to inform Kaushalya Aunty, Daddy’s older sister, of his passing. We drive to Oak Brook, where she lives with her daughter, Sucharita, and her family. Wailing and sobbing her heart out, my aunt insists on talking to ...

A HAWAIIAN MANICURE A week-long cruise around the Islands in Hawaii was decided by the Turkey group, a Bell Labs softball team. It is a non-stop fun time. On-board cultural classes are offered. I have opted for hula-dancing lessons, while others enrolled in ukulele classes, or the art of stringing leis. On the first day, ...

After a respectable passage of time, the Turkey crowd ribs John into dating again. They suggest a few possibilities at work, but John is not all that keen. His office mate, Dilish Adhikari, catches John tilting back in his chair to watch me walking down the hall. “Oh, you like Sunita, do you?” “Well, yes, ...

There’s someone she wants to beThere’s a goal she aims to achieveThere’s a pedestal she pines to climb onto She’s been given a map, but without a navigatorHer temple pounds, her heart races, and her fingers drum As she stares intensely at her empty vision boardAlas, she sees only a reflection of her clueless demeanor She’s ...

You can’t see me Because you are a ghost Dwelling somewhere in the past— Like you’re caught between walls A lugubrious floorboard Creaking with memories of me— Of what I used to be, Who I never was— Snapshots of a Little red-eyed creature Clutched to your heart. And you can’t see The woman I’ve become— You’ll never ...

May always signal the start of summer as the flowers rise and bloom,yet the heat slowly rises into the sky. Fresh smells bless the air,longer days and shorter nights approach,ordinary days are the craving we desirewhispers of the summer sun envelop the world around us rain stutters away because              ...

After the initial shock of Rita’s cancer diagnosis, several meetings with doctors and specialists were scheduled. A treatment regimen is recommended, followed, and monitored closely. It includes surgeries, chemo, and radiation sessions, but not without difficulties. Rita loses her hair and wears a wig. She is not comfortable and hates the thought of wearing it. ...