Jaunty Joint

I held his hands to pull him away towards the direction of the untold. He followed me like a baby unaware of the world around him. The palms were crevassed and coarse. It reminded me of grandmother’s feet that had toiled the field for decades on end. I took him to the cemented extension of …

Tail

I saw a dog without a tail. At first, it looked like a gas cylinder — plump, but black. Till I heard the rhythm of its trotting feet. An obese dog without a tail.  The difficulty arrived when it inched towards me. There was a drop in my pace, a change in its wavelength. I …

On Sound(s)

And, hence, it arrives. After the therefore, or was it before the nevertheless, or perhaps at the time of the perhaps itself. But it has shown itself now, or have they? Shown? Where is the image? It has delivered itself? Like a baby? It is not a new child in this world. That is a …

Generational Geraniums

This was the first time she had held a placard. It was to be raised high above her head, she knew, exactly where bespectacled bystanders on the sidewalks on either side could get blocked out their angled views of the pretty pots of geranium and petunia shimmering on the second floor balconies of the townhouses …

There is no shore for the ship.

The ship has sailed far away from the shore. One sins and one repents.On repeat.The hawks circle the sky in search of chickens.Mouth dry, from yesterday's wine.The beating of the heart beating its beat.Dead skin dry and loose for the Earth to feast.Shadows darken the world.A tear is but a witness of what could have …

Cane

I walked outside the classroom and saw them holding hands. Nothing too peculiar. The way their fingers wriggled and crawled and then finally crossed each others. I am lying. The involvement was a bit too much for my own liking. Look away was what I did. The boys would be playing football. Which ground? I …

Demerit Card for Jumping on the Garden

“This young boy here has become a master today. He has achieved what many of us strive for in life. And for that he is receiving this honor. Mister Rabin Khulal has been issued a yellow demerit card for jumping on the garden.” The assembly burst in a roar of laughter. The speaker, the general …

You are Welcome!

I bring you here, my friend. Do not hesitate to take a whiff of the air first. It might smell of mint, or of fresh apple. You might catch a bit of burnt tobacco too, sometimes a bit mustier than what you are used to in the big city of yours. They will welcome you, …

हाँडीको मकै

"कति मज्जा है?" फाल्गुनन्दको बडेमानको मुर्तिपछाडीको रोटेपिङ्गबाट आवाज आयो। संसारलाई घोषणा गर्यो। र ठुलो टेम्पोको गियर फेर्ने प्रयासको घोक्रो स्वरमै लिप्त भएर बिलायो... "आज सहराँ निकै रमाइलो भैराको जस्तो छ," भट्ट बाहुनले भन्यो। "तँ पो खाँदैनस सुँगुर, नभए बेलुका त हाम्रै रमाइलोको पिलान छ त।" थोते गुरुङले भन्यो। "कसरी खान्चस नि त्यस्तो दाँतले?" भट्टले साथीको …

Mr. Fishy and his Adventure

The fish slipped out of the hands of Chandreshwor Rao. It spun a quick spin, saw the wide-mouthed vendor with his eyes flared as big as his nostrils, and plopped straight into the open drain. Such was the geography of the space — the locals called it a town, the nationals saw it as a …