Bad IdeaBad Idea

Aleena is a Dalit feminist thinker and writer from Kerala. She often publishes articles in various online and print media about the intersections of caste, gender, sexuality and religion. She expresses her politics and thoughts through poetry written in Malayalam and English. Her poetry collection Silk Route was published in 2021.

After going missing for three months,
Lisa,
Suddenly appears at my midnight window.
“I have an idea. A very bad idea”
She whispers through the bars. 
I, both waking and dreaming
Forgot to ask the important questions. 
“What? Tell me”.
She was the baddest of us all.
The smartest of us all.
Her pretty little eyes glowed in the dark,
Like a cat,
Her claws extended. 
The door creak stood silent.
I stepped out in the chilling moon.
Lisa pointed her teeth at me.
A smile, I guessed. 
“This way.”
We walked through the thorned roads
We once roamed. 
Trees were our houses. 
Swings took us everywhere. 
Pride Lands of pariah girls. 
Footsteps were heard from the shadows.
We merged with trees. 
A holy man with torch,
String around his torso which hold
Invisible bullets. 
Lisa pounced, 
He screamed.
I screamed.
Blood gushed through my fingers. 
His immobile body
Lied at my feet. 
I ran through the dark paste,
Night thickened into. 
It was indeed a bad idea. 
And Lisa?
She is still missing.
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