IGNITION, 1972

Ⅰ

In dark dungeons, the men congregate in the night,

Slowly sipping their tea, smoking and waiting for

The woman to bring them the chronicle and the

posted letters. From their brothers and sisters,

from seven oceans across. High storm waves,

the sailing cargo, acing through, reaches the Arabian.

Ⅱ

The Panthers; pumped up comrades, revolutionaries,

writers and hopeful distant delights, wait for her to

reach the tribe. An untouchable woman, why would

she frolic around at night, the villagers wondered. The

broken paper pillage, a hope for the panthers at home.

She shivers, looks up, a gun held straight up to her

forehead.

Ⅲ

Dusk; a comrade sent out to protect the chosen one.

Disappeared or dead, they dread. The letter stays put.

Oversea post, under scrutiny, on the table, read by

them. Leaning against the wall, the man inspects.

Cigarette butts, a long journey to be, the revolution

shall remember the woman held at a gunpoint till

the last burning spark of the coming insurrection.

Aishwarya Khale has studied creative writing at Exeter College- University of Oxford. She has volunteered at UNDP India. She has completed her Masters in Postcolonial writing and Subaltern studies from the University of Mumbai. Her short story, 'Farewell to the sea', has been published on Barnes and Noble and the Apple iBooks platform. Her travelogue has been published with Tripoto India. Her poetry (open mic) was published with Kommune India and Indie Habitat on Youtube. She has had her poetry and fiction published in the Mississippi magazine, Lipi magazine, The Elpis Pages (USA), Muse India, Mausoleum Press (UK), IMDB critics review with MQAM, Royal Society of Literature, Indian Rumination, The Chakkar, Loud Coffee Press, The Criterion International Journal, Melbourne Culture Corner, The Wokingham Today and Staffordshire History Festival 2021.