Seema Taneja
it stands tall – the house – old, abandoned, dilapidated
the lawn lies bereft and barren,
once abuzz with birds, bees, and butterflies
today the trees stand still, silent, gloomy
I tread over the carpet of dry, dead leaves
the rusty teal blue door creaks as I push it open
like the fragile bones of the old woman who painted it
my grandmother – always exhausted but loving forever
the paint is dull and peeling off but little do I care
.
I climb the ramshackle staircase and step inside
it’s dusty, dark, and stinks of pigeon droppings
the room on the roof – her bedroom, and mine too.
they assail me – a whiff of her body scent
her nasal voice, the lullabies she sang me
a gust of memories threaten to drown me
panting for breath, I wrench the window open
she growls and slits my neck in a flash
just as I slit hers in a flash of fury, years ago.
what a twist! Loved it
Thank you so much!
Too sudden and startling a twist, I’m lost for words. Amazing!
Thank you so much, Mumtaz!
The eerie setting lead to a fitting climax. Very nice Seema.
Gracias, Anuradha!
Wow this was too good! What a twist. Loved it 💚💚
Thank you so much, Nitika. 💚💚 Are you also participating?
Loved how you’ve described the setting. 💚💚And, the twist. 💚
Thank you! 💚
The setting, the descriptions, all most like a short film. So good
Gracias, Natasha! 💚
Never expected such a turn . Stunned
Thank you so much, ma’am.
Wow! Verse with a twist😀
Lovely ma’am. 💚
Thank you, dear! Just tried a different interpretation.