The Red Mug
By Samreen Sajeda

Home — a museum of sentiments

And piled possessions,

Like this wretched red mug—

An undying monster,

Staring—as I stir my morning coffee.

Bits of red

Slowly shave off, revealing

A naked body of chipped ceramic

My grandpa refuses to let go,

Like a captain adamantly

Sailing a weather-whipped ship!

Not that I like to kill

But, for once, I let it fall

And rest in pieces.

Samreen Sajeda graduated in English literature from Sophia College, Mumbai. She completed an MA in the same discipline from the University of Mumbai. She writes poems, short stories and book reviews. Her work has been published in Muse India, This Week in Palestine, The Bosphorus Review of Books, Guftugu, Indian Cultural Forum, Spark, Punch, The Window Journal, Jaggery, Hakara, and in the poetry anthology titled, Of Dry Tongues and Brave Hearts, edited by Semeen Ali and Reema Ahmad, published by Red River. A poem of hers is due to be published in The Aleph Review.