The Mocktail Bar

By Rishika Rathore

Things got heated very quickly.

I stormed out of my house

and booked a cab

to the ‘mocktail bar’.

This is my favourite vanishing act.

I prefer the mocktail bar,

as it serves me with

some perfect, messy bursters:

FIRST: THE SEA BREEZE DRINK

Its sips take me to

a massive beachside house,

all glass and shining wood,

diamond sea sprayed in a blinding sun.

The pink prawns on a barbeque skewer,

And the butterscoth-limbed blondes

you never saw.

SECOND: FRENCH 75

Its sips take me to

the dazzling streets of the 60s!

Where fortunes and good intentions

keep the essence of generosity alive.

Where even the bombarded structures,

serves homely vibes.

Where the warmest item of clothing,

of winter is just a sweatshirt

and simplicity is a key element.

THIRD: BLUE SHOE DRINK

Its sips take me to the,

blue and eventually more bluish

depths of the sea.

Where the ‘Jellyfish’ shows me the way.

Where decency proliferate

and peace is eternal.

Where you have to not regret any aftermath.

I ordered all three,

and eventually, things got healed.

Soon afterward, I booked a cab

and went back home.

That’s how I put an end to,

my vanishing act.

By Rishika Rathore