Category Archives: musings

From work I return, completely drained Having navigated a complex web again Of illness, death, pain, angst, anger, and more Each day seems more exhausting than the one before * The thought of preparing dinner right now Is daunting, and I am wondering how To rid myself of this tedious chore When I see chickpeasContinue reading “Cooking for Comfort”

Yes I am upset and I want to shed Copious tears right now; instead I control my emotions at the cost Of being distracted, distant and lost In my reverie, not listening to you My patience runs thin, I snap at you too But I am your mother and you should not See me beingContinue reading “Mommy wants to cry…”

(The hidden cost of fast fashion) I have a gathering to attend It is important that I spend Some of my (hard-earned) money to buy A new outfit, because how can I Repeat an outfit worn previously We are going to take pictures obviously That would, on social media sites be displayed Comparisons between theContinue reading “Fashion- forward, not fashion “fast””

ICU nurses are facing burnout at an alarming rate due to repeated COVID surges, staffing shortages, the lack of efficacious treatments for severe COVID leading to very high mortality, and with omicron, increasing infection rates among staff members. Here is my attempt to give voice to an ICU nurse in the pandemic. I’m tired I’mContinue reading “I am so tired…..”

When was the last time we as humankind Were in our collective grief so aligned? * We all have grieved, we all have mourned Individually, in clusters, we have borne The weight of our grief alone, many times in the past But there wasn’t a blanket of grief so vast As to engulf each oneContinue reading “Collective Grief”

That thing I hold inside of me Against a (?real) (?imaginary) adversary The thing that my mind cannot process Festers like a putrefying abscess Or like a low grade tumor that continues To enlarge, a wound that continues to ooze Spreading evil humors throughout me Threatening my peace of mind, my sanity The resentment thatContinue reading “Grudge”

In Indian society, this is the question everyone seems to have for young adults, particularly women, and it usually refers to marriage. As intrusive as it is, it is a common question and I have a tongue-in-cheek reply… What do you mean by “settling down”, tell me I am educated, have a career and liveContinue reading ““When will you settle down?””

(My relationship with my birth country) Relationships can be complicated, I’m aware The most complicated relationship I have, I must declare Is with my birth country, my motherland It has taken me a while to understand.. My love for India should unconditional be At least that’s what I would like, but unfortunately As an outsider,Continue reading “It’s Complicated…”

It is extremely hard to be away from your family in another time zone when they are unwell… How was your night, I do not know For me the afternoon hours pass slow I wait impatiently for your dawn to break I check time obsessively trying hard to shake The all-pervading anxiety as I tryContinue reading “Separated in time…”

Something feels empty, what is it and where? Is there a hole, a void in my heart of which I am unaware I feel lonely, cooped up in my home alone Trying to find something uplifting on my smartphone There is a pit in my stomach, a craving I cannot name It feels like anContinue reading “What do I fill with food?”

I shall remember for years to come How you shaped me, how I did become The grown-up person that I am today All words of encouragement and criticism tucked away In various recesses of my brain from where They get retrieved without my being aware Help me navigate through life in your measured tone IContinue reading “Memories…”

If there is something I have learnt In the last two years after being burnt Multiple times for my planning overzealous Is not to make plans, best not to discuss What we would do in six months or a year Many times the plans for the next week are unclear Depending on which way theContinue reading “The best laid (pandemic) plans”