Babylon: Manini Priyan Olikara

Photo Credit: Sunyu (@sunyu)/ Unsplash, Public Domain Dedication

Babylon

Manini Priyan Olikara

I used to live in a great country.

Founded on ideals of non-violence

A place with one of the oldest histories in the world

A place I was proud to call home

But this great country has fallen

A tinderbox of injustice and inequality

There is no “We”

But Hindu vs Non-Hindu

Migrant worker or work from home

Virus affected

Or not.

A nation that has lost its moral center

Tyrannical despots in power

Who throw matchsticks

To light the same fire

Lit by the previous invaders

I say a prayer

And try to summon my own strength

Hoping my prayer

Will crack open the heavens

And rain of justice pours down

To return Babylon to its former glory.

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Manini Priyan Olikara discovered her love for writing while she was pursuing her second Masters from King's College, London. She works as a corporate HR business partner during the day and spends her nights writing poetry, science fiction, and fantasy. Her poems have been published in literary magazines like Spillwords and Literary Yard. Her first poem anthology Isolocation was published in August this year.

Home: Chandini Tauklee

The Delhiwallah Poetry Collective is proud to introduce the Young Poets feature that publishes young poets including school and college students.

Photo Credit: Scott Webb (@scottwebb)/ Unsplash, Public Domain Dedication

Home

Chandini Tauklee

A home is a happy place,

Where you feel safe and sound

It’s a place where your heart belongs.

A home is a familiar noise of fights and toys,

It’s the warmth you feel of love and joy

That one will ever need.

A home is where your family is,

And that’s what it will ever mean.

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Chandini Tauklee is a funny, talkative, and overthinking teen. She loves her family and friends, dogs, and feels happy when she writes.

The Wordkeepers

The Wordkeepers

by Jash Sen

This book is the first of The Wordkeepers trilogy. Set at the end of the Kaliyug, in a world peopled by gods, demi-gods and yakshas, along with normal people, it combines mythology, fantasy and adventure. Anya's carefree teenage life is thrown into turmoil when her mother is abducted, passing on the mantle of wordkeeper to her. Her only ally for this task is a cursed immortal warrior. In another part of the country, village boy Bilal dismisses tales about a prophecy claiming he is the avatar, Kalki. Anya and Bilal need to find each other so they can fulfil the old prophecy and destroy their common enemy, the vengeful god who pursues them.

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