Category Archives: musings

When I was young I thought understanding meant Learning scientific principles, my time was spent In pouring over subatomic particles, DNA, RNA and such Newton’s laws and Einstein’s theories attracted me much I thought the world around me I could understand By understanding physical objects and the lay of the land.. I viewed the worldContinue reading “How do I understand the world?”

What do I call that longing deep inside To excel, to be recognized, to ride The wave of popularity, to be admired- Do I call it ambition, that burns like a fire Burns a hole in my heart again and again It is a visceral feeling, a constant dull pain Sometimes spurs me to action,Continue reading “Unrequited ambition”

You may get lucky if you are bold Thus the myth of the maverick is told Success stories seem to be replete With narratives of extraordinary feats Achieved by folks who took a leap Of faith, risk-takers who plunged deep Into turbulent waters and obtained Massive rewards, with minimal pain * These stories are inspiring,Continue reading “Myth of the Maverick”

I have been weighed down By heaviness all around The weight of expectations Air thick with nervous anticipation Anxiety over things out of control Pressurizing my mind and soul Ambition burying me down deep Lofty dreams breathing heavily on my sleep Clouds of despair laden with grief surround me Adding more heft to my abjectContinue reading “Tread lightly…”

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…”