Part 1 - The Masks
We meet, we greet
Discuss, converse
We part as friends
Though when
Our meeting ends
Why do I feel
So much worse?
Do we realize?
It was only
Masks
That spoke
You put one on
And so did I
Masks to hide
The sheer terror
Of vulnerability
Masks that divide
Camouflaging possibility
Masks that disguise
The error of our ways
Or simply ritualize
This deep-rooted malaise
Masks that entertain
Some even with warpaint
I want to ask
That we get rid of our mask
I want to break out
Of this mold
And show you
In all my humility
All the chinks in my armor
With deep inner clarity
To cleanse myself
Of all that isn't truly mine
So you can see me
In my full shining glory
To open up
Your own heart
Share your own story
So we can both be
Who we're really
Meant to be
- March 24, 2015
Part 2
...fragments...
We meet
We greet
Again
And over and over again
We share the laughter and tears
Our joys and our fears
Repeating the same refrain
And when the masks drop
There's a pause
We finally stop
Stop the labels and the libel
Forget the Geeta Koran or Bible
We see the tears behind the laughter
The laughter beyond the pain
The joys despite the fears
There's that Love all over again
Look around yourself
Can you find those
Shattered battered pieces
Left lying behind
This bit from someone's childhood
That from a youth
One from a lost brotherhood
The other whom no one could soothe
Fragments...
Squinting and glinting
Shards
Piercing yet hinting
When you pick up a piece of me
And I
One of yours
The alchemy of Love binds
This new part
Makes a new whole
That leaves those old holes
Far behind
- April 18, 2015
These were born as gifts for the participants of Yoni ki Baat 2015 - a journey I took with ten incredible women that culminated in a performance where they shared their authentic stories centered around women's sexuality, and a part of Aaina - the annual festival for South Asian women hosted by Tasveer.
Picture credit: Arati Rao, to commemorate the reflection, the Aaina that is Life.
