Sangeetha Kamath

NUMERO UNO The dull ache is a constant throb at the back of my head. My vision is blurry and the light hurts my eyes. What just happened?! Did the roof cave in or was it an earthquake? With great effort, I manage to open my eyes a little. Some people are sprawled on the floor, some in black and masked faces are wielding guns and moving menacingly. I must have been walloped on the head.  The wave of nausea is overpowering and the world is swimming. The voices seem to float through a thick shroud—" NO TIME TO LOSE!" I'm just on the verge of blacking out when I see a girl lying a few inches away from me. Bloodied face, broken nose but her designer gown and jewels are recognisable anywhere.  Kimaya, the superstar…unmistakably dead!! Whimpers of panic ensue from people sprawled face down on the floor. Has anyone called the police or an ambulance?  Through a hazy vision I see Kimaya being changed into quite a dowdy dress. Just as another wave of d

                TO...FRO... CAN'T LET GO... The gray mists of my memory part to that high summer August day when I'd left the classroom to stop by the water cooler. My eyes had wandered to the school playground and the swings. I never got a chance to play, with the roughshod kids making their way there first. Jerome, the school bully beat everyone to it and hogged it for the entire recess. Now was my chance to take a swing or two.   Mid-afternoon hunger pangs were gnawing at me and I'd longingly looked at the school garden. The wired fences were entwined with Strawberries, BlackBerries... Raspberries! I thought I could do with a bite of those. The tangy juice and wholesome bites of the fruits refreshed me. Lost in a reverie, I had pushed the garden gate and ventured inside.  Corn cobs! My favorite snack!  As soon as I pulled a ear, I heard hysterical screaming and another one hollering instructions. The voice was unfamiliar and malevolent. I stood rooted to the spot hidden

                DANCE AWAY THE BLUES She speaks in the language of emotions which needs no words. It's only when she flows in dance that her body truly knows how to speak. Being verbally inadequate as a child, she had found an immense outlet to express herself as an ice-skater. "Cassidy! There you are! " I went up to her and even as my heart pounded like a million hammers, I handed her a note.  Did I catch a slight hint of a blush or was it her make-up? She looked like a fairytale! Her satiny ice-blue sequined leotards hugged her svelte form like a second skin. "Read it after the event", I flashed a toothy grin and took my place in the front row. The audience was crackling with excitement. She took her place in the middle of the rink with her partner and as soon as the haunting music began she glided on the floor like a feather. Her dizzying pirouettes, every pose and arch of her back held me mesmerized. She was going for the gold!  Like a heron spanning her wi

                        HEY, WILD CHILD  I stand in a sea of gold, of soft wheat and summer grass while the breeze ruffles my hair. I soak in the April sun and the aroma of the meadow all around me. The freedom of a birdsong is a steady chime to the beat of my heart. The bleats of lambs, the 'moos' of a young calf, the scampering of piglets and rabbits are straight out of a picture-perfect storybook. There's nothing to beat living in an idyllic countryside. Surrounded by nature, I would be listening to the hooting of the owls at night and only the rustling of wind through the leaves. I would wake up to the sound of birds singing outside my window or the dawn breaking behind the mountains. The ideal days ahead where I can only see the most pristine azure cloudless skies with birds flying high up. Feeling the soft grass underneath my bare foot as I leisurely stroll with nowhere in particular to go to, and nothing to disturb my tranquility. With the wildflowers brushing past m

                                  TAKEN  The floor boards creaked and my footsteps echoed in the vast emptiness. Shafts of moving lights filtered through a skylight from the high ceiling. In the dim murkiness, I could only see towering silhouettes. Unrecognisable. Unidentifiable. Where was I and how did I come here? Was I in an accident or had I bumped my head, lost my memory and wandered off to this abandoned structure? I only had questions and not a single answer. I felt about in my pockets for a phone. I could do with some light in here. Luck was on my side. I turned on the flashlight and saw a litter of weathered wooden crates, soggy cardboard boxes and newspapers littering the floor.  I picked one up. The print was smudged and illegible. What on earth! It seemed to be a warehouse. Paint and plaster was peeling off the walls. Where was the door? I need to get out of here! I turned my flashlight all around but found none! No windows either! What was this strange place. What's go

                            CHEESE-Y Oh dear! Oh dear, What's this I hear? That's one helluva prompt toughie Writing love letters is not my game, you see… I'm no sucker for fairytales, I'm a smart cookie But for the love of writing let's say  I'm willing to give it a try all the way… I might sound like a kindergartener  When I spout kitschy lines like "Let's grow old together"... Quite cheesy wouldn't you agree? Speaking of cheese…yummm! It brings out the foodie in me Like mozarella to a pasta Like cheddar to a frittata Like strawberry jam to a buttery scone I promise you, my lovey-dovey poetic skills I will soon hone Like a salsa to a taco Like a hummus to a nacho Ermm….would'ya like to 'nacho' (dance) a Salsa with me on a full moon night? As we clink glasses of Sangria Under a lush purple arbour of Wisteria  You can stop me right there and tell me how corny were my lines or deliciously wicked--- like cheese stringy. Errr…cheese ag

                                MOXIE N' METTLE  In slivers and fragments as my sleep tiptoes, did I do right or wrong my heart needles… Some skies are born of black holes and tempest wreck,  There glitters not a ray of light, nor a speck When curtains turbid hold all light hostage,  Sandstorms, hailstorms, dust storms, snowstorms, windstorms assail and ravage Spanning my wings as a raging fire  Or as a mellow glow of a fairy light in the distant darkness, quite debonaire I'll ignite my spark from within like a star born into itself spurting lava Or explode leaving trails of cosmic dust like a Supernova I will be the Sun creating galaxies and many a constellation.  Or burn like a single flame of the candle to keep my hopes and dreams alive with determination! I will be at my own pace I will be whoever and whatever I want to be—in my own race Collapse, crash and crumble! But I'll not lay down my arms and with my goals fumble.  I'll bounce back on my feet, draw my courag

His feet sploshed through puddles of water as he walked in the driving rain. His hair was plastered to his face as he battled the icy wind. What a cursed day it had been! Having been fired from a job he had given his time, life and soul to was totally unexpected. And just as luck would have it, his car broke down in the middle of nowhere when he had something important to look into. He needed answers and he would get them. If not…well… Taking bold strides he walked towards his destination.  Why on earth would someone live in a desolate place like this? In the blackness of the night, a grim shadow of a mansion  loomed darker in the distance.  Is this where she lived? Satan couldn't have been kinder! With fumbling fingers stiff and cold, he switched off the flashlight and inadvertently his phone too. He felt in his trenchcoat, reassuringly for the dagger. The handle had an ornate and antique carving. An authentic sacrificial blade and the only one of its kind which belonged to the an