December 2025 – Page 2 – elancharan gunasekaran

i kneeled and the darkness corrected my name gently

the sound of reality collapsing under infinite forms

the nightmare was not the mad God’s presence but the narrow world above waves a paradise where mistakes are not tolerated and resistance spells death

vagrants in paradise feeling with hands crawling through the dark on bruised knees following the warmth from cradle to light until our world ignites

another round of tea the morning rain feeds into the temptation

tip of serpent’s tongue a forbidden flower blooms in the language of tides

the ambient dark commands our cold limbs stretching and contorting bodies reminding the flesh that it is mortal time and time again

the children of the leaf play and sing and dance within the confines of concrete barely bothered by the rain that has drowned out the silence of this autumn day

carved into the old birch the almanac of elders to lead the young ones into the future the fae children sit and watch and listen etching lines and symbols and seasons into memory for if you ever lose your way in the world close your eyes and think upon your memory of youth remember the beautiful birch its eternal watch in day and dark and find your way to one of the sanctuaries to begin anew

the grim forest does not trap you it simply forgets the way out