So I See Soysee

Everytime you visit me in this far-off place,
Words erupt from this weak heart,
Which does not have the guts to say,
I love you and go home to you.

Your beautiful face shines so bright,
In those crevices of my brain lying here and there,
Trying to keep the original me alive,
In this far-off place with no real light.

I have lit my abode bright and yellow,
In anticipation that you'd come and bless it,
The medium and small sized beings residing in it,
Awaiting you with smiles and open arms.

The littlest of beings in it is curious to know more about you,
She looks curiously at the lights her father has lit,
Asking in her garbled language questions about you and the lights,
Won't you come to us, to the little being at night?

I want her to play with you in your warm embrace,
Just like I did so many years ago on my house's terrace,
Running with excitement lighting candles here and there,
In the cool November evening waiting for your warmth and care.

Come to us like you used to come,
I don't think geography is a boundary for you,
For you don't have any shape or form,
Which can be stopped by any law or charm.

We will be waiting for you at dusk,
She will be waiting for you at dusk,
Our ears will be open, our hearts awake,
For that warm whiff which follows your gait.

Tanisha shares with us how she is making the most of the lockdown.

Gift Shop Bills: The Kid In Me Celebrates His Birthday



I woke up one year older,

Chiding the passage of time, against my will

When all at once I saw a bunch,

A host of loving gift shop bills.

In her pockets, in the cars trunk,

Fluttering and dancing as if they were drunk



I started dreaming about the gifts,

Continuous as the stars that shine,

Many and heavy, I would need a lift,

Bring them to our abode, hers and mine.

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

tossing their heads in sprightly dance.



The kids beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling kids in glee,

A poet could not be but gay,

in such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

what wealth the show to me had brought:



For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the gift shop bills.

Reciting one from Papa's collection on the occasion of Father's day. 

Every year, around this time,

I take my senses and the devices,

On a trek, covering half of the globe,

Lest they would become complacent,

Doing a small fraction of their ability,

Day after day, after day.

While the poet in me revels,

In the smell of coffee served by strangers,

At various airports, hotels and planes,

In white cups and saucers,

With sweet cookies to go with that,

And whatever you wish and more.



The journey becomes the destination,

The unacquainted smiles, a fascination,

The senses struggle at first, but then succumb,

Devices show many timezones, all at once.

From the dry, cool silicon valley,

To the land where moisture hangs by a thread,

Ready to break away upon a prayer,

I travel, the observer, the absorber,

Along with my senses and my devices,

Hopping from plane to plane,

And plan to plan,

Till there is no more to see.

life

Do you ever just wonder what the purpose of your existence is? I do this a lot. I just sit in my room doing my homework, and then I wonder, am I ever going to become someone important doing this for the next 10 years of my life. Everyone is doing it, going to school, finishing assignments, graduating, going to college, and getting a job. Most people are content with this idea of a somewhat common, ordinary, and typical life. But I’m not. I want to do something that people will remember me for. I don’t want to just be an extra human being on the planet Earth and die one day. I want to be known, I want to set a legacy, and I want to be remembered for something I did, by myself with my hard work.

Now I know this sounds like a cliche Disney movie where the protagonist is a peppy teenager who is about to go on their first day of school, but really, think about it. Do you want to be someone who goes to work just for that paycheck at the end of the month, or do you want to do something every single day, where you are actually content with what you are doing. Not just content as in living a comfortable life, but content as in having a true passion for what you do, and never getting tired or bored of it. For example, I love theatre and acting. Every time I watch a show or movie with an actor about my age or a little older, I do a whole report on them. Some of my google searches might include, for example (this was after I watched Stranger Things), “Millie Bobby Brown age,” “Millie Bobby Brown school,” “how did Millie Bobby Brown get the role of Eleven.” It just makes me curious that these people, about my age, are literally known by a lot of the world, and they get to have a life working on movies and something they are so passionate about. I know it sounds immature, but I challenge you, think about yourself, are you living a life filled with passion, or are you just… existing.

With a perspective, I’m Tanisha Varma.