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Taj Mahal

 Sahir Ludhianvi’s poem "Taj Mahal" offers an examination of the romantic ideals that surround the iconic structure, which is often viewed as an eternal symbol of love. While the Taj Mahal enjoys worldwide acclaim for its breathtaking beauty and rich legacy, Ludhianvi challenges readers to reconsider this perception by bringing attention to the many untold stories and underlying truths associated with its creation. He invites us to dive deeper than surface-level adoration, prompting a necessary reflection on the exploitation and suffering that accompanied the monument’s construction. This duality redefines the Taj Mahal from a mere tribute to romance into a stark representation of imperial arrogance and social inequality. The poem masterfully contrasts the seemingly pure notion of love with a narrative steeped in suffering and injustice. By addressing his beloved, the speaker questions the glorification of a structure built through the toil of countless laborers whose identit...
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Bautista’s poem hints at established social and historical issues in the Philippines. Colonialism, injustice, political corruption, and poverty. "This country without history" refers to how the truth and voices of the masses are often silenced or forgotten, buried beneath the lies of those who possess the power. The author describes a country where people survive on “instant things” that are “delivered from evil” by a “man with a thin mustache”, possibly referencing a past political leader who offered false salvation. Poverty is a deep systematic problem that affects identity and hope.  The author used literary devices such as metaphor and irony to present the harsh reality of life in a Third World country in his poem. The line “My stomach is a ricefield” & “I learned all the words and broke them” shows how poverty is not just around the people, but it is carved into their very being. It’s a metaphor that turns geography into suffering, where hunger becomes a part of some...
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Flash Fiction

I kept his letter. I never replied. 
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I Come Back Like The Sea

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                                                                     🌊🐚❀ I have always loved the Sea . Its beauty, mystery, and wildness. “It is the sea that pursues the habit of shore.” That line in Gabu helped me understand something I couldn't put into words at the time. Life isn't about avoiding storms, it's about the practice of returning. Like the sea to the shore, I return to myself, even after experiencing moments of fear, doubt, or exhaustion. After reading Carlos A. Angeles' "Gabu", I couldn't help but remember about my own restlessness as well as the unrelenting crashing of the waves. My life has been molded by events, errors, and moments of realization, just like the shore in the poem. Although the poem initially seems gloomy, even hopeless, there is a silent strength beneath. I have many experience...
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