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| An American dream turned nightmare: Four members of a Sikh family in California kidnapped and killed. —CNN, 6 October 2022 |
harvested ground, haze of vijay dashmi
lingering, skull smashing night
of rakshasa's ten heads, family
of four, found. tossed. taken.
sweet daughter of god, Aroohi nestled
asleep, an orchard of almonds
her bed, maggots swimming
in a baby’s gourmand breath
a nip in California air, draped them
as complicit as a shroud of
velvet cases on edible nuts
a blush ash on their eyelids
at home, a bowl of blessed parshad
is untouched, effigies of the
demon king ablaze, shrouds
of starlings depart, crowning
at the feet of a mother, wailing fists
on breast, a lamenting hum
rises, a rasp from her throat
a paddock of grief ruptured
erasing the monsters of distant love
father, eyes jittery like locusts
hands peeling the skins of five
blanched almonds, organic raw
california grown, new day breaks into
night, a kite across an ocean of
fairytales, heavy footed he steps
forward, to bring cadavers back