Downpour

The rain poured down mercilessly, as if the sky was unloading a heavy burden. Fat angry drops of rain bulleting their way on to the parched earth. There has been no electricity for about a month now, no news or contact to the outside world. We had no clue of what was going on out […]

7:17pm

Parents decided to celebrate the New Year despite the lockdown (13/4/2020). However, no firecrackers announcing the auspicious times were heard in our neighbourhood this year. My father had brought a kiri muttiya when he went out on a delivery run. We supply goods to hospitals so unfortunately we are an essential service and my father […]

12:35pm

Today I notice the afternoon birdsong, but I’m in pain. The red devil visits today, a week or so delayed, can’t blame it as I have been quite a bit dehydrated in this heat. The pain washes over my lower abdomen in waves. I imagine a beach in all the hues of red. The red […]

9:30pm

Heavy rain. It comes quietly and suddenly, big fat drops fall hard onto the parched ground outside. The rain is so heavy it sounds like a waterfall. Our dog sits and watches with a look of worry on his face. It has been so hot these days that I won’t be surprised if he has […]

11:50pm

Spent most of the morning working on the review article draft. Took a break to have lunch only to realise that I had written about 4 studies, just 4 paragraphs. All that time I spent reading, understanding, analysing and paraphrasing only to realise I had not done much. Atleast it wasn’t too warm or has […]

1:34pm

The irritating noise of a radio cuts through the peace and quiet of the afternoon. It’s lunch time but I don’t feel as hungry as I should. My supervisor called me earlier today to see why I have been idle. I tell him I’ve been busy and that I am planning to finish the second […]

11:57am

A white butterfly flutters past my window oblivious to the dire situation humans are in. Last evening mother entered my room to discuss death as a famous local musician passed away yesterday – not a victim of the coronavirus. Somehow a regular death amongst the pandemic deaths seemed to touch a chord with her. I […]

12:48pm

It’s 12:48 in the afternoon, and there’s bird song. I never noticed this before, all the afternoons I’ve sat at my desk during this time. We are so absorbed by our everyday hum drum life we have forgotten to stop and listen to the birds. Today is relatively cooler than usual, eventhough there is not […]

On The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and a Feminist Future – Spoilers

The Handmaid’s Tale explored how the little world of women works. While men work in broad strokes, women work in small, detailed brush strokes like a Master working on an oil painting. Men are more exhibitionist in their cruelty whilst women are more prone to grand schemes usually taking place in the shadows. Watching in […]

The Astronaut

This is based off of a dream that I had, for some reason it really stuck in my head. The coal lands were a brutal landscape. Mining, mining, to no end. The drilling and clunking of metal against the hard wall of coal echoing far and wide. It is the only sound I have […]