The leaves sizzle on the wind
dangling in crowds like kids on monkey bars.
They twinkle in the early evening sky:
stripes of green, yellow, brown.
I see them for the first time,
truly alive,
declaring silence and stillness in breathy whispers.
Masses of box-squared frames speed past;
their owners vacuumed into a throbbing cacophony.
But I,
I listen.
And it’s my first:
A silky premiere.
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
As a child, I rejoiced in making French braids and high buns out of its thick curls. I wrote my own stories within the impenetrable knots of marriage and motherhood, weaving through her silky strands that seemed to extend for miles. The comb that would agitate my own coiled hair would billow through hers, without the slightest effort.
Bring us together Tomfoolery and all Leave behind walls They crowd us too much Bring us together Late into night Stories and stories Giggle out
thirty on paper in truth, it’s twenty it’s all I have yours, ours, mine 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and then– twenty to eat, rest, talk–
Illustration by Allie Olivares Free Woman: Has Become by Sonia Chintha “Do you want to try to have kids again?” Dr. Jenson asked.“No.” A weight