Sangeetha Kamath

Auschwitz of appalling atrocities Barracks crammed with hundreds instead of ten Concentration camps catastrophic no end Devoid of rest, starved and shamed Exterminated with brutality extreme Flagellated for mistakes trivial Gas chambers bore witness to shrieks blood-curdling Holocaust, a worst mass genocide to date Incinerators burned day and night Jews, Roma, Sinti wiped out in droves Killings in gas vans mercilessly because, Łódź ghetto was getting overcrowded Macabre massacre of the blameless by Nazis so sinister, cruel, twisted Orchestrated by a deranged demon Poisonous gas was Zyklon-B lethal. Queued for roll-call, whiplashed if out of line! Ravaged by identity of race, religion Swastika crest; Schutzstaffel formidable--- Tortured, scarred, fractured, shattered them Unforgivable! Unforgettable?--- Never! Viciousness was abound, ruthless gore Waltz of death 'twas lunatic, manic Xenophobic crusaders full of frenzy Yellow stars marked Jews for humiliation Zephyr now pauses on thi...

Prologue The night belonged to the hunter.  A quivering full moon floated between the wispy clouds like a pale ghost, not daring to witness the scene that was about to unfold. The path through the deep forest was cast in a shadow and the low branches reached out menacingly as a wraith's skeletal talons would. Not a rustle of a leaf nor a flap of a wing could be heard.  Nothing stirred.  The hunter walked stealthily and waited for the ambush. There they were! There were so many of them tonight. Performing a dance and cooing melodiously.  Their eyes shone and his--- gleamed with greed. The carnage that ensued was not for the faint-hearted. Blood-curdling shrieks split the air. After the deed was done, he set the glen ablaze and walked away without remorse, pocketing the prized possessions and a bloodied dagger. He was going to be  Invincible! Indispensable! Immortal! A manic laugh engulfed the silent woods. ****         ...

Bewitching grandeur, a shimmering glow The night is electric Radiant halo, a silver moonbow Its rare and exotic Floating clouds create, a sheen quite mellow Effect is dramatic Starlight glint spangles, sprinkles tint yellow In lagoons so scenic The opalescent mother of pearl Wraps fabled rabbit Ah! It's the sturgeon, blue moon tomorrow Time for spells and magic With herbs and potions Barn owl's hoot follow Arias rhapsodic.

This story had won the Third Prize in a  Short Story Contest held by Wordweavers.                              HIRAETH Most rainy afternoons make me jog down memory lane, to the rhythm of the downpours that cascades down in sheets. And I slacken to the percussion of the raindrops tapping against my window pane. Flashes of memories of the halcyon days come back to find me, to haunt me like mists hanging heavy and still. My only solace at this juncture are my vintage albums. My very own time machine.  Mulling over the pictures, I pen her a tribute: Once upon a time, there was a time when photos were Black & White, Monochrome, Sepia But the trees in your backyard were a much Idyllic Green--Verdant, Jade, and Lime. The fire in your hearth, a sunset Orange--red-hot, Amber and glimmering as you stoked it. The skies, i...