Stillness in Life

As the days melt into each other and time stands

stagnant; life still passes

us by, sometimes excruciatingly slow in its tread

and in others: with the blink of an eye, leaving

behind a hint of nostalgia.

There haven’t been many stories to tell

within these four walls

new strange but not uncommon images

of faces in mask and __

I try to hold on to a sense of normalcy

but more often than not I end up

finding myself amongst old photographs

reminiscing about times not long gone by

longing for the exciting rushing eventful days.

If not swimming in the past, I

am overthinking and overthinking

anxiously, or crying in the bathroom sink

taking a few words too close to the heart.

My mind wanders -

listening, clustering thoughts, hoping -

a journey, flipping through the thick white pages

of worn-out journals; remnants of time itself.

I let myself be carried away 

in reassurances of an unsure timeline.

On some odd days, I feel some respite

from this stillness engulfing me and all of us,

when I mix paints on my palette or

hearing the voice of my favourite person,

soft like the wind

on a rainy day.

By - Athira Raj

Graphic by - Rozanne Jojo