Time has always marked us with lines When born, we call them fingerprints and dimples After a few decades, we call them wrinkles
You see the lines that time added around my eyes The ones I see more when I look into the mirror Are the ones that time added to my spirit
Still a child, I believed in my supernatural abilities Youthful but naïve, I fought the scars of my wounds Now, I accept them with camaraderie
Admiring them for all the tests they stood Understanding them for all the ones they didn’t And still hoping that zest will persevere beyond their wisdom
To young fathers, I see the delight when you look into your daughter’s eyes I know the way your heart beats for her I know you would jump into the sky to get her the stars I know you’ll fight for the world to be her oyster
To older mothers, I know you don’t see your children differently when they are that young But as she starts to grow, you teach her to accept based on your experience You have passed on some of your dreams, and some you have lived through her But during crucial times, you pass on your belief of adherence
To older fathers, She is your joy that eases your day You hold her gentle like a flower You always want to give her everything And fear the day when her wellness is not within your power
To young mothers, You know the fight she has to fight You know you have to run and pass the baton You let her dream, you let her fly Hoping not everything she’ll ask for will still be Latin
Know that you are the ones who decide how she lives Know that those without daughters may not know the women of the times You are the ones that have to take a stance and make her able You are the ones that have to think and act betimes
You teach and enable her when mothers also keep and pass their name You teach and enable her when you show you are equals in this game You teach and enable her when you reflect on where to place the blame You teach and enable her when you stand with her without shame
Privilege is the hand that helps as we climb a ladder Privilege is being able to go out without a cloak Privilege is knowing you won’t be asked more of yourself than others Privilege is feeling safe among all the other folk
Privilege is what we held on to When we pretended to establish equality If you ever had to pick yourself up after losing everything You may begin to imagine the strength it takes to stand calamity after calamity
Even those of us, who haven’t meant harm Have used the helping hands for our own climb Knowing all too well in our hearts who our climb was going to leave behind
We may have felt guilt, we may have sought repentance Our hearts may have pained at others’ injustice Silent bystanders so far, not knowing what we could do Are being told how we could stand together this solstice
Let us learn to see another person Beyond their biologically adapted trait to sun exposure We all have color and we all wear a shade Let us not hide any longer behind our masquerade
Let us have more faith in our abilities to seek and forgive Let us focus on the efforts to amend Let us be humble and thankful That what’s being sought is justice, not revenge
An old man, thin and frail Smile that extends to his deep set eyes Veins that have stood with him through the decades Lines that have shaped with his life
Not a glamorous job, not a different vibe Not different goals, the same old strive Money for the food, roof for the family Survive the system, manage bare dignity
But he was once young, he was once handsome He once had eyes filled with dreams He dreamed of love, he dreamed of standing up He too dreamed of purpose and meaning
Is it fair that only some have the chance to pursue their dreams beyond youth? Should privilege define our lives so? Because that is our ugly truth
I breathe just like the fire And just like the fire, I am conflicted About whether to burn Burn to fuel my passion Burn to brighten the surrounding Or whether to be quenched Quenched to serve my thirst Quenched to satisfy my longing
A tiny particle challenged the reigning species again It brought the global hustle to a stand still We, who are always willing to run others over We are now, at the other end of the kill
Communications between two is hard enough We are witnessing attempts of communications to billions Watching leaders and masses has been humbling, frustrating and entertaining And the shares and forwards about them have amounted to gazillions
To some, this is not about #WFH but survival Some struggle to breathe and receive appropriate care Some struggle to make ends meet and feed other mouths Some essential workers are doing everyone’s fair share
Many others find this hard to understand and believe Many are trying to cope with the inconvenience of being limited to home Many are renewing interests and honing skills Many are letting their skepticism and imagination wildly roam
We found huge sums of money (‘for people in need’) We found ways to negotiate wars (that kill as many as covid19) We found time for family and friends (quite creatively too) We found time to pause from our never-ending chores
Air that couldn’t be cleansed took some breaths Other species pushed to corners found some space Life in water too took some leaps And spring blossomed prettier without the human chase
Times like this expose many truths Times like this can teach many lessons Times like this have come and gone Why don’t we still seem to catch the essence?
Morning (bottom) and evening (top): The things we take for granted, without knowing if we will have another.
In these riddles I have you in my mind
The days, the seasons That which has been constant That which we knew wasn’t forever That which is a habit now
We cannot hold on even if we wanted to We will be thankful for what we have But eyes do well up At the prospect of not having another day, another season.
Seasons, the cycle of life: Everything comes and goes, what are we trying to hold on to?
“What do you want to be when you grow older?”, she was asked “A pilot”, “a teacher”, “a doctor”, the five year old said “You can do whatever you set your mind to”, she was told This opened up for her, every possibility ahead
With time, her dreams grew wings and they were let to fly Allowed were they, during the times into which she was hurled Her kind were out, learning, working and leading After all, they only had one extra ability, than the rest of the world
Power comes with knowledge and independence Something that was held for a long time from this gender With the ability to stand for what she believed in She didn’t have to care for any offender or defender
What she did not know, was that her times were only half ready for her They said she could dream, but not be misled “Who will raise the children?”, “who will tidy the home?”, they asked “How can we be led by those, who until now, only bred and fed?”
She reasoned that the domestic and social responsibilities were shared Efforts and skills determined capability, and from their masculine ego, she be spared They turned to religion and traditions, “you forget your role”, they opined “We may have advanced in other ways, but in these interpretations, we will remain ancient”, they determined
She knows her sentiments resonate with many But to the systemic arguments against her, she must hold her own She may be alone in fighting now, but there are many like her You better prepare fully for her, the seeds of change have been sown
Don’t take her compassion for granted, it comes from great care Don’t take her silence for meekness, it comes from great strength You do not comprehend her fierceness, she is the energy that sustains you You do not comprehend her power, she is the fire that can keep you warm or burn you.
Cold and sharp as icicles Heavy as a stone Deep and dark as sea Pricky as thorns
The loyal pain residing in my heart, Is it disappointments or hopes that hurt more? There is still a smile on my lips Knowing I will always have a companion
A young love fired my virgin heart We held hands under the summer sun There was passion and great promise But the differences and inexperience won
Split between different worlds I went with everything but my heart But when promises meant nothing Hope too left me at last
I have met my questions and shaken hands with my fears The heart knows no more bottoms and it soars high When the heart never dreamt small in rooms dark Why will it limit when all I can see is sky
