Vidya Premkumar

Room 19

Lessing and Woolf understood—
every mother, every wife
craved a quiet corner
in a worn-out motel,
where the wine is cheap,
the food greasy,
and the TV hums its dull lullaby.
A place where doing nothing
is the only thing to do—
no art, no verse,
no novels to write or threads to weave,
no fashion, no masks to wear.
Just the soft embrace
of a white hotel robe,
skin untouched by soap,
eyes tracing the outline
of concrete against the sky.

sewer vine the toddler at the mother’s waist

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About the Author

Dr. Vidya Premkumar is a poet, educator, and author of three poetry collections: Musing while Living, Living in an Indian Laputa, and the chapbook frame story. Her work has been featured in various literary journals, including Pan Haiku Review, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, #Femku Mag, and others. In addition to writing, she runs Jnana Vistar, a company offering educational workshops for schools, colleges, and corporates. She resides in Wayand, Kerala, India.

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