He was a good man

who feared the hag

but the witch whispered

things to his heart that

nestled there in a

dark recess, things

his wife fanned warm

till he gripped the knife

and overcame his fear

of the witch and death

and God and blood, so

he did the deed, and with

his hands stained red he

donned the crown and

he killed his enemies,

he killed his friend,

and all the while the

dark closed in on

his shadowed heart

so he sought the witch

he once had feared,

and she cast strange

things into her pot,

dog’s tongue, baby finger,

baboon’s blood,

and he asked, “What

is it that you do?”

and she answered,

A deed without a name,

and he stood with the witch

and watched.

"What now?"

"We have water."

"We don't have food."

"There are knives and tools, can hunt."

"We don't have shelter."

"The hulk of the plane will do."

"We won't have heat."

"There are matches, and I know how to make a fire."

"What if we get sick?"

"There's a first-aid kit and I know CPR."

"Why are you so calm about this?"

"Because one of us has to be."

"Do you think we'll make it out? Find help?"

"... We have to try."

"What now?"

"Let's take it from the top, shall we?"

"Well it all started when I was in class I could feel it, crawling and moving around inside of me. Like a...Like a parasite that I just couldn't get rid of....It was disgusting."

"So you felt the intense need to get it out?"

"Yes! exactly dr. and people find that so hard to understand. If something was clawing at you from the inside trying to get out you'd want to get it out too right? Right!?"

"Well most people aren't disgusted by their 8-month-old moving around in their belly Mrs. Potts. That's why the...the um...-"

"Display"

"Yes, Mrs. Potts. That's why the display you put on in front of that room full of kids was so shocking and its exactly why the court sided with your husband to put you in here."

"I could feel it sucking the life out of me..."

"Its honestly a miracle you survived such a traumatic event, self-inflicted or not."

"I'd be dammed if I let that thing kill me..."

"Mrs. Potts I'm afraid you'll be stuck here until you admit what you did was wrong and horrific."

"But I wasn't wrong, and I'll never admit too it."

"Well then, I guess that's that."

"So..."

"So?"

"What now?"

"Let's take it from the top, shall we?"

"Oh my god, is that coming from you?"

"Yes, sorry, I didn't think you'd notice."

"The elevator is stopping, crap, stop laughing, it isn't funny!"

"They're gonna think it was me."

"What now?"

a poem is etched along the slippery inside

edges of my throat sketched in deep red letters it

itches to be let out to be spoken and

no one knows it yet but i promise though it

is broken it exists with deepthroated grief for you

there are plants -they are weeds- sprouting in

my lungs that scrape at the corners and

drop silver seeds they sprout golden flowers i

dont know if they slow my breathing but i would tear

them from my chest and wear them for you if i could

there is a knife between my gapping teeth that

cuts and holds my mouth as its bloody sheath and takes up

the spaces i wished your mouth would be on but

the blade traps my words and twists the smile to a

curve that drops like the hope in my hollowed heart

a hive thrums in my skull with a deafening buzz that i

cannot silence it is word after word fighting to

be heard and they dig sharp into my mind with

their angry desperate venom and stinging nettle because

a stirring thought will not settle behind closed eyes

and though i breathe and live still my heart ceases to

pump its crumbling valves to writhe in this unsettling

silence that is despair though not a corpse -yet buried to

the final grain of sand- still i rot and the blood in my

chest is holy and hopeless it is hot under the weight of knowing

that there is nothing left of you to hold

#Travelling is Bae,

Travelling is Life

Traveling is everything

I believe we all have come across various one-liners or a paragraph on traveling.

For me:

Travel is a refreshers guide in times of monotony and distress.

Travel is a form of challenging oneself

Travel is a mode of self-Discovery

Travel is self-care

We all travel to our workplaces and places of worship etc, but when it comes to leisure traveling it has a different connotation. Solo traveling in India is on a rise, and each day women are taking the step forward to go solo.

Has anyone given a thought to solo traveling??

Solo traveling in India???

Is it safe to travel in India as a woman???

My Answer to these questions as per my experiences would be “Yes, solo travel is safe for women, and in India it is.”

Beginning of an Adventure:

I have always been shy and a recluse person since my formative years, meeting people was strict no, in fact, I used to run away from people, and traveling was out of the question back then. Growing up in a conservative family, where deadlines were 7 pm but hardly availed off, due to my nature, my parents would often wonder, if I would progress in the world outside.

Being a loner was easy, however, it has helped me as I see myself grow from a shy person to someone who has learned to travel on my own.

I owe my transformation to my job: Media sales executive in a reputed company that expected me to initiate meetings, go out and meet people. It was a stepping stone to success, especially travel.

The second reason being the evolving of technology, usage of smartphones, and travel apps, they were my savior while preparing for the trips. Most of them were helpful, and some provided the best deals on the last minute or random trip. Engaging with like-minded travelers was still far off, but I knew I had to pull up my socks and start meeting people or at least read some useful blogs that would enable me to decide my further course of action.

You must be wondering how easy or difficult it would be for women if they had to travel on their own. Yes, I had my fair share of fights, arguments with my family, but perseverance is the key ingredient to my success in convincing my folks. It is very difficult to convince parents, husbands about the trips. As an independent woman, I have always seen myself calling the shots about anything in my life. So taking approval for travel was out of the question…here I enter the dangerous territory of being labeled as a rebel. So mind you, woman travelers, you might also face the same scenario, but a strong woman can always defend herself in tricky situations is what I firmly believe and so must you. Never give up on your dreams, because we live only once. It’s one hell of a life and we must live it up.

Questions that will be asked to you as a solo woman traveler (Single or Married does not matter)??

Don’t you have a sense of responsibility??

Who will be assisting you on the trips??

Who will be sponsoring you??

Is there anyone waiting for you out there, if a place is repeated??

How will you manage yourself???

Hope you don’t indulge in any unsafe activities …hinting at a different perspective??

How can you leave your husband behind and travel??

Who will take care of him, whilst you are gallivanting up in the hills or beaches?

Challenges in the form of questions, behavior attributes will always be a part of a women’s life??? However, being headstrong and determined to go along is the only way that we women can pursue our passion, whatever it may be. My entire 20’s were spent just writing my goals and bucket list: want to travel solo to international and domestic destinations, but no action was taken.

In India women are never encouraged to pursue, their passion or likings, it has always been family first then everything follows. If you are single then you need your parent’s approval, if married then it’s the husband and his family. So where do we stand??? How do we go about it??? In my case, I am dealing with a failed marriage, and traveling is a solution to my stressed-out condition. I don’t seek my husband’s permission, I just inform him. In -fact he is aware of the plans that I make, but on the positive side, his constant NO to my questions resulted in me trqveling solo. His NO was my YES to move into the unknown. It’s been 6 years now since I ventured out on my own, and trust me it’s been a wonderful experience. Yes, there were tragic moments, disappointments, and surprises, but all the effort was worth it.

Every place has a different story that enfolds you and creates a different vibe altogether.

We women need to create a niche for ourselves and personally speaking it was very difficult for me to collate my thoughts and ideas about traveling. Understanding the nuances of solo travel, the risk and time involved, all that had to be grasped well and considered accordingly. In short a well-planned activity needed to be on the list.

In conclusion i see myself traveling more often when we are out of this pandemic and every women should travel.