Content warning: Drug use. Intended for adult readers. “Let me play among the stars.” Frank Sinatra’s relaxing voice caressed her ears as if a comforting hand brushed her hair back into place. She gazed up to the stars as she teetered back in her chair. The sky was a vibrant amber and scarlet mixture. Yet ...

My sweater sat, draped over an open drawer. I examined the stains and tears, earned from years of love. The garment seemed to be on its last legs, yet I longed to lose myself in the familiar fabric. When I was six, my grandfather died from a heart attack. “Too full of love,” my mom ...

It had been six months since the dead walked out of the sea. Benjamin sat atop the rounded bluffs, made pitiful by time and the saline air. The beach, an inconsequential strip of sand not long before, was now ghostly silent. Only fading tracks and worn trails hinted at the commotion which had come and ...

The visit to Ottawa ended. Nothing had been resolved. It was clear Sudhir needed to continue under supervised care, and he was sick of it. As he put it, I am wasting here. Returning to the airport, I stopped to say goodbye. I walked upstairs to check out his room. We uttered words of getting ...

In the hushed, soft-lit room, Sudhir lies in a pine coffin draped with a white cloth. Munna, my younger sister, and I arrange white gladiolas on either end with peace lilies along the length. Deep red roses lie in the middle. Mummy enters with Juji (my youngest sister). The priest prepares the thali for the ...

Previously, I had stated, “And thus ended the year 1991 Anno Domini.” Not entirely, though! The year 1991 is also the year Millie leaves us. Millie and John have a minor argument, and invariably, it gets blown out of proportion. Things are tense for a few days, and Millie needs a break. Two of her ...

Brian is a student at Macomb, juggling school, relationships, and business ventures. His only real friend and constant companion is Stinger, the orange tabby with thumbs. The extra toes on each paw are his crowning glory, despite being at the paw end. When Brian visits home, Stinger is with him. The cats, Toot and Stinger, ...

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 ...

We were young, still in our cocoons when we first met. Flora morphed into a beautiful butterfly, sooner than me. Her wings—the colors of fire, lit the sky. Her flutter stirred many, to reach and pocket her. But free minded, she held her own, unwilling to be caught.   With a grand vision to travel ...

Do the selfish greedy fewWatch the innocent dieAnd bleed upon the morning dewDo they inhale the red dustAbove the crumbling homes of trust Has their warring blackboardBeen desecrated by the blood-spattered hordeSacrifice by their beheading swords The white doves of peace are cryingWhile the red lilies of loveLay under broken ground dying