Maa, We Need To Talk: Day Twenty Three of NaPoWriMo 2023

Your shouts and my screams echo in my mind,

The sheer pain that runs through my body almost renders me blind.

My chest feels heavy, and I know yours does too,

But why is understanding me such a difficult job for you?

My tears stain your dupatta as you hold me close afterwards,

And yours stain my pillow as we walk on eggshells like cowards.

“Maa, we need to talk,” is what I tell you before the fights,

“Maa, will we ever be able to talk?” I ask you when you turn off the lights.

You live in your past, and I am controlled by mine,

As we continue pretending like everything is fine.

“You don’t get me,” I shout as I become ignorant of your point of view,

And reveal my battles which I thought you never knew.

But my heart lives with your soul more than I know,

And you’re aware of my struggles more than you show.

“We don’t need to talk to know each other,” you tell me as you caress my head,

And I snuggle more into your embrace as we cover my bed.

We are the missing piece to each other’s puzzles,

We speak to each other even with our mouths covered by muzzles.

The threads that bind me to my home are tied to your hands,

And there’s nowhere else I’ll return to with my heart full of sand.

Written by Khushi Sarwa for MTTN 

Featured Artwork by Aarathi Mohandas for MTTN