Nalini Shetty
Lights Out
The room feels larger now, though nothing has changed. I sit in the same chair, drink from the same cup, yet an absence fills the air, stretching the silence between breaths. The old clock ticks, its steady rhythm once unnoticed but now a reminder of moments that slip away. I sift through letters, worn and yellowed, wondering how words can grow faint while memories remain sharp. Outside, the wind carries the sound of children playing—laughter that fades as quickly as it rises. I close the window.
a photograph
forgotten in a drawer
how long has it been?
the corners curl inward
as if to hide the faces
About the Author
Nalini Shetty is a stay-at-home mom who writes Japanese short forms. She is published regularly in haikuKATHA, Haiku Dialogue, and other known journals, and is an active member at Triveni Haikai India, where she workshops with masters and fellow writers.