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Is Your Man Trynna Go Back in the Way He Came Out? If so, read this
*no desi mamas were harmed during the writing of this piece, though if some of them have read it, they’re probably on their way to the hospital with swooning problems and fake anxiety attacks. Good luck, mamas – your 28 year old baby boy is still stuck to his umbilical cord, just the way you… →
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‘Denial.’ def.: She’s Dead and I Can’t Write About it
I want to write about my poor obese grandmother lying on her back with her mouth slack and her hair damp in a shabby government issue hospital bed, illuminated by a single flickering fluorescent blue ceiling light that can’t make up its mind. →
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I Have Not Forgotten You
This is for you, hungrily hunting for anyone/anything that will make your heartbeats sound like festival music and not a funeral march. →
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Bye Bye Birdie
Now that I have no way of actually speaking to you, let me speak to you. Let me talk to you for a little while. Why don’t you make yourself a cup of coffee – even though it makes you sick – and settle in. This might take a bit of time. →
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Shiny Things!
To you who doesn’t know how to love, and to you who effortlessly takes me for granted, oh, and to you who doesn’t even see me. To all of you, adieu. →
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Dear Abbu, Thanks for the Feminism
I have some Pakistani guy friends who on the surface appear to be educated, polished, but now and then, let slip such sexist remarks that I can’t help balk at. I’ve been told to not wear sleeveless clothing, that there’s a problem with my makeup, my breasts, my butt and how all of these are… →
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Hi, could I return some of this freedom?
I never said it was because my parents were worried I would be murdered or kidnapped; I just shook my head and said, sorry I have a family dinner to get to or maybe next time? I have to finish up some homework. I didn’t want them to think my parents were insane, or you… →
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Watermelon for breakfast
Today I had watermelon for breakfast. I had eggs in the morning – but that was a year ago. Yellow omelette with green pepper flecks; the ting of the toaster the maid’s brown hands on the crusty bread. Baba at the table: two silver forks on his plate; one waiting for me. * I flew →
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These Are The Things I’ve Learnt
There may be a boy who inspires you to be better, and once that happens, you may leave. There may be a girl who you adore from the delicate nape of her neck to her pink painted toes. And those may be the only things you love about her. Love is love. →
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Lahori Blues
How many people here have had the chance to almost dislocate their shoulders with a bhangra? A good bhangra with family can keep you happy for days. There is nothing like Punjabi music and people who love to dance. →
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About The Woman Who Raised Me
The woman who raised me is not my mother. The woman who raised me is not a mother. This woman has a tiny heart, and a smaller spirit. I have learned this the hard way. She was always too busy to read me bedtime stories but never too occupied to later point out →
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Bird In A Doll’s House
When I was younger, there used to be times when misguided little birds would accidentally fly inside the house. The thought of those tiny sparrows straying in from the open skies to the four walls of my home continued to interest me. The bird would hop from the shelf to the television, then on to →
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How To Be Proud Of Your Thin Skin
I have a new mantra for you. Over-feeling is not a bad thing. Going through the world with your heart on your sleeve is not a bad thing. Feeling others’ pain as you would your own is not a bad thing. Taking things to heart and hurting is not a bad thing. There are people who will →
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“If You’re Going To Have Two Faces…”
You know those people who walk around with their heads high and look like they’ll slap you if you say hi? I’m one of them, or so I’ve been told. But, I’m nothing like that once you get to know me. I have a big mouth sometimes, I’m outspoken and sometimes tactless. All my flaws →
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My Father, The Mortal
Today, my life changed. Well, not in the shooting stars or melodramatic turn of events way; rather in a stop and think kind of way. Today, I realized my dad isn’t immortal after all. Sure, he’s the hero I’ve always looked up to, the staunch defender of his castle, the infallible, strong male presence I’ve come to →
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Take Me To A Deserted Island…
If you were stranded on a desert island, whom would you want standing by your side? Calculating the value of people is simple; just put two perspectives. Walking in to a room with sunshine in your hair and brilliance in your smile is easy. Anyone, and I mean anyone can fake a smile. I’ve met →
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7 Resolutions, 7 People, and 7 Reasons To Love 2013
2013 was the year of so much loss and so much more gain. I got rejected from one college, got into two others, and took a year off. In this ‘gap year’, I learned so much, met so many people, laughed, and cried. Since this is New Year’s Eve, I thought it only fitting to →
Nayab Malik 