Akala. In this part personal life story and part political reckoning, Akala incisively pulls apart all pretence of niceness, impartiality and morality in a world still largely shaped and quartered by recent and enduring colonial legacy. Moving forward towards a common humanity will require willingness to squarely acknowledge and confront the full and true nature…
I never said I loved you
Rhik Samadder. Rhik deals with painful childhood trauma and life-long depression in an open, honest and beautiful manner in this life-affirming memoir.
No friend but the mountains
Behrouz Boochani. Behrouz provides a shocking heart-wrenching personal glimpse into the tenuous lives and fates of refugees penalised and dehumanised for the simple act of seeking refuge from misdrawn colonial borders, political persecution or armed conflicts. What fate lies in store for the impending climate and ecological refugees in a planet carved up into private…
Somebody I used to know
Wendy Mitchell. Wendy presents a powerful and moving memoir about the changes that dementia wrought, learning to cope, and continuing to live with dignity and meaning. Wendy’s blog: https://whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com/
Camping in the rain with Buddy the beagle
Poem, 9 October 2019 It had not rained in Bali, Not a drop for months. The rainy season came and went But the sky seemed so indifferent. Dry earth and dry streams, Parched throats and sapped bodies. And then we went camping Just for a night Twas a special birthday wish On a cliff by…
Love and abandonment and love
Poem, 25 October 2019 I was born in the 1960s A dark-skinned snub-nosed girl No reason for my parents to beat the drums But they did, incredibly! My mother Who had been dressing my brother In long braids and girl’s clothes For the past years. My father Who it looks like I captured Around my…
Disconnected
Poem, 16 April 2019 I answer the last Whatsapp. Up-to-date and very satisfied, I flick on the flight mode, Slip my phone into the seat pocket Buckle up and lean back, To plunge instantly and alternately Into my gripping book and deep sleep, Exhausted from the already-long journey Down the mountains. It’s landing time, that…
A week in Sikkim
Poem, 16 April 2019 We went for a week to the majestic mountainsThe towering Himalayas, the roof of the world.They rose up steeply and sharply from the plainsCloaked alternately in green and ramshackle construction.Water poured down the slopes to feed a mighty riverNow dammed and prevented from rushing to the sea. The winding road we…
Aging
(Sung to the tune of “Three little birds” by Bob Marley) Poem, 16 March 2019. Start worrying about everything Cause every little thing is gonna breakdown. Singing: start worrying about everything Cause every little thing is gonna breakdown! I woke up this morning And groaned with the rising pain Emanating from my joints, And every…
Envy
Poem, 16 March 2019. Strange how that green shadow Chases you through life Hovering just above your shoulder, Waiting to peck at and whittle down Your plans and executions Your thoughts and passions At times a deafening silence At times an ignoring and brushing away And when that fails to absorb the insecurities, Set the…
The night it happened📘
First published at http://balicwc.com/2018/11/01/the-night-it-happened/ Short story, 1 November 2018. A cloud obscured the moon and my pretty pink cubicle was bathed in dark shadows. It was that kind of night that made the call of nature particularly challenging to answer, especially when the loo was situated outside the main building. It involved walking down the…
An encounter between an Afghan immigrant and a scientist in a London taxi
Short story, 24 November 2018. Nina was drop-dead exhausted. It had been an intensive gruelling five days and nights of training where every nerve, synapse and muscle in her body and brain had been stimulated, stretched and twisted to breaking point. First, the need to absorb and digest the truckloads of vital information delivered at…