WHEN I MET MYSELF
WHEN I MET
MYSELF
Just short
of my half journey
And just the
other day
At a
bustling airport lounge
Through the
cacophony of sounds
I happened
to share an hour
With a
reflection of myself
An
adolescent
Caught in
time
In
transition
Between
worlds
Neither here
nor there
On the cusp
of adulthood
Emotionally,
Still
not out of the woods
Sitting
frozen in time
On a couch, opposite
mine
Understandably
fidgety
And on the
threshold of her climb!
I could
sense she was aching
Aching to
leap out
From a past
shrouded in shelter
Into life’s
dodgy arms
Alarmed
And yet
excited too
About the
unknown perhaps
Without a
compass or maps
As she sat
there
Pondering
Wondering
Uncertain of
everything
Certainly of
life
If she
jumped
Will it catch her
In time
Busy as life
was
With a
billion other lives
And she bit
her lower lip
Maybe at the
thought
That she might slip
Through
life’s fickle fingers
And the
vagaries of time
What a crime
And shame
that would be
For she knew
not in that hour
The power of
her tenacity
That I could clearly see
Because once I was her
And today, she was me!
As the whys
and wherefores
Of her long
impending journey
Coloured her
tender mind
Now maligned
With
emotions
Tumultuous
And
difficult to hide
Even behind
The famous
teenage pride
That at some
point
We’ve all known
As a friend or a foe
Questions
began to lash her mind
What if I
fell
Into the
metaphorical well
Grandma
always spoke of
Who could
tell
What if I
fell
Would it be
hell
Thud!
Face down
In front of
jeering crowds
The society and my peers
And at the
corner of her eye
Formed a
tiny tear
The twin
glazed over
Over the
fact perhaps
That like
most of us
She had no
safety net
She had no
harness
I offered
her my kerchief
And my most reassuring
smile
And she took
it and looked
up
For the very
first time
Eye to eye
Unglued
Away from
her device
Her trusty
The only
armour she had
In that
crowded lounge
Like most
lassies and lads
Her age
Holding on
to their gadgets
Trapped in a
cage
Of technology!
Her face was
a fresco
Of acne and
angst
Weighed down
By the
looming anticipation
The
impending birth pangs
Of what lay
in the next chapter
Would she be
truly free
Or life her captor
And she,
Merely some floating debris?
But before I
could speak
The speakers
blared
Through the
conditioned air
Of the room
And she left
in a jiffy
With a
simple “Thank you”
And in an
instant
Was swallowed up
By a sea of
humanity
I could see
her back
I could see her
go
And somehow,
Only I could
see her
I wish we
had spoken
If only for
a bit
I wish I
could have told her
You don’t
have to please
Girl, you
don’t have to fit
Breathe
Relax
Don’t tax
your mind
Learn to
enjoy the journey
As I rewind
mine
Embrace your
uniqueness
Your
quirkiness too
It’s what
sets you apart
So listen to
your heart
And just go
with the flow
For the planets
will align
And trust me
girl, in time
You’ll end
up just fine!
- Priti Singh
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