Still Life with Skull, Leeks, and Pitcher by Pablo Picasso (Assume all trigger warnings) Until the mo(u)ring flickers in an oil lamp again by Shailja Bahety The red silk light escapes the oil lamp and settles in the sky while the night shatters inside its glass and the dawn flies away with colours for yet another mo(u)ring. The world is what it doesn't seem to be. It is a pool ball on God's billiard table, who wears a linen maxi dress and is never drunk on prayers because she

The Vigil’s Progress We begin with the immediate memories Grandpa’s last phone call to each one of us only to hand over the receiver to grandma both hard of hearing and full of love Armed with pliers and a length of copper he repaired our mixers, transistors and bicycles changed the chandeliers and polished the doorknobs while grandma kept her third fast of the week Slowly but visibly, the body is growing cold the sockets of the eyes are sinking in the peace that’s settled on

Keepers Of Faith "Mother, you remember perfectly that God is a thief." -Agha Shahid Ali We shall meet again, beyond the last frontier By the lake where distanced lovers of lore meet. The monsoon's cursed tears shall crash into sparkles While we talk about Doomsday and distance As though mere words can will it out of existence. The vultures flying above us in circles— Keepers of faith, wretched figures long