- Covid-19 Helpline India
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