Tip of a Leaf

That's what the pandemic viral desperados did to us, a chance to cry like never before longer besides sending us six feet under. It emptied our shared vanity, singling our lachrymose ducts, victims in our own ceremonies, and uncompromisingly masked for keeps.

Rekha Valliappan

Rekha Valliappan is a multi-genre writer and poet. A university lecturer, she has lived between places and languages from India to the USA through Malaysia. Her writing credits include Best Small Fictions 2025, Best of Penumbric Vol V, Best of Fiction 2017 Across The Margin, Best Short Stories Schlock! Webzine, short story competition winners' anthology Ouen Press, Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. She won the Accent Prize for Short Story from Boston Accent Lit and features in over hundred journals including Litro Magazine, The Museum of Americana: A Literary Review, New World Writing, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and other venues.  Rekha recommends Rainforest Trust.