To Jyoti, who literally and figuratively has been the light in my life
Because, if she had chosen not to bring me into the world
Or not held me to her breast when I was born
That stormy Christmas night
I would not have been!
Epitomizing that every life matters
She lit up for me, like a candle
Never let her flame dwindle
She wept but silently
Like the candle wax
forms into tears
dripping down its own body
The pain trickling
Sometimes puddling
Mostly staying in frozen shapes
On the candle stick;but
I only received her magical smells
and the rest, the relaxation, the illuminations
in the amber warmth of her light
To Priyadarshan, Maasi
Who is not only a role model
On how to be mother like
But also taught me
How a woman should
Always make an effort
To look your best
Yet, how easy it is
To present yourself with graceful appeal
To Manpreet, it is no secret
she has the special most of places
In my heart’s cubicle
A full rewards membership
with protective sinews and muscles
It is also no secret to me and to her
That there is more than this worldly
to our connection
I sleep well on the stormiest nights
knowing I have the guarantee of a symbiotic partnership
inspite of time, distance or others
To Shibana, the partner to her Shiv and the avatar of bringing an
Inner strength to life for herself but in the process, sharing
Caring and spreading it to and with many others
The wealth of gratitude is not one that comes easy
And I learn that from her
The sister who is also the seeker
To Reema, my sister from another mother
For teaching me what unconditional really means
Every day she loves me, loves her son, loves her brother
And all of us know, she gives us more than we give her
Yet, she nourishes and gives of herself;I understand that
Reema is supposed to also mean an Angel
To Sanah, the prayer in our lives
The gift that came into our laps
When we needed her messianic zeal the most
The baby holding her breath until she turned blue
Ironically, starved my self- pity
And forced me to take control
She made an impact, visible and clear
Even while she was still at my breast
And has since and ever has always
been teaching me the lessons
I never ever had thought I would experience
daily surprises and most special because they
are taught through the eyes of my own child
To Mansi, as says her name; became the woman
Who walked into the life of the man
Who has been my magician
As my first-born, he gave me special access
To him ; a mother stumbling along
Mansi, has already taught me
More equilibrium
Bringing to a relationship
Both the loving wisdom like Saraswati
And an inquisitive quality to love
To all those whose names I am not calling out
To the women who are not with me today
And those that have touched my life
And made it better
Always
Because you chose to do so
Nudge me, praise me, lift me
Stay silent with me
Wipe my tears
Acknowledge me
Work beside me
Take care of those
That mattered to me
Lean into the moments
That I cared most about
I realize too well
I could have abandoned
Myself
at some point
from birth through today
But each of you
cared and validated
what can be so easy to suppress
#mylifematters
Kashiana 