An Inventory of Seeds: A Poem
Lately, I have been thinking of how the seeds that have been planted by years of practice are only sprouting forth now. And how some are still lying dormant in fallow earth, waiting for their time, not knowing if their time will ever come. And yet, how every word, deed, action, bears its fruit and…
Fear Is the Mind Killer
“Fear is the mind killer,” I should have said after receiving her cautionary text message about compulsory lockdowns across the nation, and militias patrolling the streets at night to make sure that nobody looted or rioted. I didn’t think to ask her about policy-based civil disobedience. Instead, I offered, “I know you’re trying to be…
Why Don’t the Poor Understand (As Soon As They Stop Being Poor)?
When Shawn and I were on our walk today, we talked about money. How we are beholden to it and wish to be free of it all at once. How we hate being under the thumb of capitalism, but how it also offers us access to certain realities we’ve been conditioned to crave and to…
Words and Incantatory Magic
I am: Star-studded midnight blue Infinity Velvet worn down by rough fingers Cicadas that sing for an eternal summer Thick maroon wine Clanging pipes distorted into melody by the welcoming receiver The hollow of the chest belonging to the one you have named Home Unfurling I’ve always pondered what it could mean to live a…
My Not-So-Maternal Instinct
(This story was originally published on Women For One.) I am one of those women you sometimes hear about in urban legends: the kind that doesn’t want children. I’m 37 years old, and ever since I started to express my nascent opinion that changing diapers and dealing with the tantrums of a diminutive tyrant was…
True Talk: No Story Is Too Small
(This story was originally published on Women For One.) Hi, I’m Nirmala, and I’m the Editor and Content Alchemist here at Women For One! I believe that women’s stories shape the landscape of the human soul, and I see myself as more of a gardener than a traditional editor. One of my gifts is that…
