• whale in the ocean
    504
    0

    I’m an animal person, so any story involving animals is bound to get at my emotions. Recently, I came across a Facebook post about “the loneliest whale,” which broke my heart. So, of course, I had to research this poor creature. According to the Facebook post, this particular whale calls out at a different frequency ...
  • Other mother
    535
    0

    Are you my other mother?Among the manyHeavensent for fatherTo feel whole again? The fire rages onIn his soul,In spite of hisLonely heart. I am my father’sDaughter, aSpitting imageWithin his pride. Born small and meek,Now strong and brave,Among the savannahPlains of the wild. A concrete jungle,Caged soulsFollowing myFather’s footsteps. A lone lionDesiring love,In a game whereWinner ...
  • Hore Abby
    462
    0

    Ingrid sighed and adjusted her bag. The straps cut into her injured shoulder, but the pain was a welcomed distraction. Rionan struggled up the path after her. Her Norse had improved quite a bit. If only the crew had bothered to teach her something other than swear words. With every skid on broken seashells and ...
  • flowers on fence
    566
    0

    A man comes homefrom the outside world. He beams at his wife, and his heart glowsHis family is the reason for his struggle throughout the day,The reflection of his achievements is ingrained in his family He doesn’t need his wife to whisper words of love,even though they sound pleasantHis wife is his pleasureHe doesn’t need ...
  • Buds and Flowers
    661
    0

    Bud says to neighbor Flower, “When I grow up, I will be pretty just like my Mama.” Flower replies, “How do you know what your Mama looked like?” “In my imagination, I think she must’ve been the brightest.”   “You are right. Your Mama’s ephemeral life was the best our bunch has known. On the ...
  • flower dying
    419
    0

    How do you grieve the loss of someone who is still alive? That’s a question I’ve asked myself every day for months now. As a kid, everyone thought that my family was perfect. Even when money was tight, food was on the table and we always had new clothes; I still missed my emo band ...
  • Mother and her ducklings
    533
    3

    Gaggles of geese and ducks abound around me. Paying no attention to me as I pick my way thru the throng, they are busy with each other. Gently clutching this tiny ball of fluffy feathers screeching his head off, I am casting my eyes around. There is so much flapping of wings spread wide. Necks ...
  • Free spirited Dove
    739
    0

    I seek afterThy natureThe calmInside of me. The peacefulWaters,Beckon to meIn moonlight. “I am noJesus, orHoly saint!”I protest. “Trust me,”Is all IHear, asIt calls me. I relent,Giving in,ReachingThe shore. The waterLaps myFeet, as IDare not stray. Let it cleanseThe filthInside of me,Like holy water. Let it beMy baptism,As I treadWater. “To the pointOf no return,”I ...
  • summer nights with mother and child
    466
    1

    Summer nights of yore in a sparsely crowded Delhi, dhurries on rustic charpoys layered with cool white sheets, stars pricking in a darkening blue sky, Sudhir and I ready for our bedtime ritual with Daddy – an enduring childhood memory of growing up in Delhi! Delhi summers, unlike the winters, require a rare mindset to ...
  • Wise Elder
    707
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    At the center of my lifeAre teachings passedOnward, from word andAction, sacred gemsI foster and treasure. At the center of my lifeIs freedom eternallyBound, my desireUnquenched to beLike my parents. My mother, strong-willedBeautiful in song andMind, never giving upOn me, pure andInnocent in the world. My father, a lion among sheep,Never bowing to anyone,Teaching me ...