Anita Nahal (Colours of Love and Barriers)

Anita Nahal

Anita Nahal, Ph.D., CDP is an Indian American poet, professor, flash fictionist, and children’s writer. She has three books of poetry, one of flash fictions, four for children and four edited anthologies to her credit. Her third poetry book, What’s wrong with us Kali women? (Kelsay, 0221) has been prescribed as compulsory reading in an elective course on Multicultural Society at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and was nominated by Cyril Dabydeen, Guyanese Indian Canadian poet laureate emeritus & novelist as the best poetry book (2021) for British, Ars Notoria Anita teaches at the University of Columbia, Washington DC. More on her at:  https://anitanahal.wixsite.com/anitanahal

Saans (Breath)

i.

I take my quiet saans with me everywhere... a trusted heart shadow.

ii.

I take my precious saans with me everywhere.  Like smiles on my son's face.

iii.

I take my saans, blow a kiss and it sways gently like docked rocking boats

iv.

Yet, anytime, my saans can be snatched. Blown out. By someone not loving.

v.

Yet, anytime, someone’s rigidness may scuttle my constant prayer's saans.

vi.

Yet, anytime, my saans could be considered less valuable than yours.

vii.

And then, anytime, you may take the Damocles sword and slice my saans.

viii.

You may believe my saans is a threat to yours and rule out coexistence.

ix.

Yet, saans is free, right? Out there, in the air, open, thanks to greenery.

x.

Please, leave my saans be. Accept the diversity of its container.

*Saans: Hindi word for breath

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Colours of Love :: Setu, July 2022