Clustered Chambers by Shreya Pendurkar (16, India)*

Burning flames – a heart, itches like salt on scar. 

Buried fears inside the chambers of eyes,
red-roses, ash, ashes reside. 
A shining sunshine replicates a daunting landscape, 
and whizzing crickets swallow poison pills.  

Insomniac blankets wrapped around the empty scalp– ​​

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Eyes clenched and lips bruised;  
red lids flutter and jitter like feathers.  
Trembling belly, the nostrils snort hard,  
blistered fingers, nails eaten half… 

Finesse the art of silent 
and lock that shutter tight.  
When mansions of sanity shut their eyes, 
the pathways of invisible nerves turn wide.  

Crippling knock of knee-stones 
rhyme and tune and rustle - 
poking pins of bumps on arms 
open like a cat’s mouth. 

Tales of twisted tears 
and blinks of tired lids. 
Dried lips as autumn leaves. 
Prithi do not marry my thoughts, 
they’re draughts of horror dreams.