Niveditha Santhosh
(First appeared in Four Seasons of Life, Notion Press)

The Rogue
The rains are salty, is it sweat or is it tears?
It can be both as she is in pain
If only she can tell her woes
It is one of her own who has turned rogue
The boughs used to bow
To the winds blow
The pebbles used to roll
As the water flow
Oh, the trees are gone, no respect shown
Damn, the dam stopped the water flow
Many perish in anguish
As the humans languish
She is scarred, that is not her pain
She is exhausted, still no pain
But she feels the most pain
When one of her own turn rogue
Remember the story of Narakasura
A boon that only his mother could kill
Turns him to a savage rogue
Only to be killed by mother to protect others
Niveditha Santhosh is pursuing her Bachelors in Literature.