Identity

I am an adult Indian,

An English child,

A Moghul emperor,

A Christian bride !

I stay silently in me.

The Ganges,

Himalayas

and the blue seas;

The Prince of Wales museums

UNO, the

statue – of liberty’s ;

converge, creating their ‘I’s in meâÂ?¦

To me are precious

the temple and the mosque,

gurdwaras, churches

and the synagogues ;

I have listened to the Gita,

Grisham, Tagore,

De, P.G., Premchand, Steinbeck

and more;

�.rhythmically to their scores in me�..

I’ve found joy

in sunlit green grasses glistening with dew,

roses, tulips, grasshoppers,

baby bears, the solemn kangaroo;

Thankyou mother

for everything

I can read, write,

and play in spring,

my mind is free –

not shackled

‘in narrow domestic walls’ :

Tagore’s poems

teaching me :

“a citizen of this world”.

At times lost, but I’m sure

to ever uphold

your gifts, your eyes in me.

Thank you mother !