I remember when the world was a honey *** —
sweet and endless,
when the biggest worry was a blustery day
and whether Piglet would blow away.
The sky was wide, and the ground was soft,
and the trees whispered secrets if you listened long enough.

Back then, I knew the Bare Necessities by heart:
A river’s hum, the sun’s warm kiss,
feet splashing through a world that never asked for more
than laughter and a little bit of wonder.
Baloo taught me how to sway with the breeze,
to let life be easy —
but no one told me the breeze could turn cold.

They don’t warn you when the Hundred Acre Wood starts to shrink,
when the trees lose their magic
and just become trees.
One day, you wake up and Christopher Robin isn’t coming back —
and you realize you have to be him now.
You have to pack up the toys
and leave the forest behind.

But I miss the forest.
I miss the rustle of leaves that sounded like adventure,
the way a cardboard box was a pirate ship,
or a rocket,
or a house where everything made sense.
Now my ships sink in student loans,
and my rockets crash into expectations.

They said growing up was an adventure —
but no one said it was like Shere Khan waiting in the dark,
all teeth and waiting for you to fail.
No one told me the man-village had rules:
Wear this. Be that. Don’t dream too loud.

But sometimes, when the night is quiet,
I hear Baloo singing in the back of my head.
Sometimes, when the wind shakes the trees,
I swear I see Tigger bouncing through the branches.
And I hold on to those echoes,
those soft, honeyed memories,
because the world gets heavy,
but childhood taught me how to fly.

So maybe I’ll keep a little bit of the forest with me.
Maybe I’ll hum the Bare Necessities when the bills pile up.
Maybe I’ll remember that a blustery day
is just an excuse to hold on tighter to the ones you love.

And maybe, when the world says grow up,
I’ll whisper back —
“Oh, bother.”

I saw you again, not in presence, but in light,
A flicker in the reel, a whisper in the night.
Your hands, adjusting your saree with grace,
Unaware, you burned your name on my gaze.

In a crowd of colors, you were the calm,
A breeze in winter, a hush in a psalm.
I laughed at my heart, stubborn and wild,
Still dreaming of you like a foolish child.

They say fate draws lines we cannot bend,
That some stories are not meant to transcend.
But I—
I have danced with the idea of us in my mind,
In a parallel world where rules are kind.

You wore tradition like a crown that day,
And I, a silent poet, looked away.
But in dreams, I held your hand, so light—
Not to keep, just to feel it once right.

They won’t let me call you mine, I know,
Same roots, same echoes, that’s how these go.
But hearts don’t know of caste or clan,
They bloom when they simply can.

So if you ever wonder, even in disguise,
Why a breeze feels familiar, or tears just rise—
Know this:
You were a chapter I couldn’t rewrite,
A light that warmed me… then slipped out of sight.

Close your eyes and ponder
When was the last time you ever let yourself wonder?
When was the last time you asked and inquired of things;
that rekindled in your heart that fire?

When was the last time you let yourself roam free?
When was the last time you let yourself dance in the rain with nothing but pure bliss on your face?
When was the last time you ran barefoot on a beach; the last time you let the sand cover your every inch?
When was the last time you chased fireflies at dusk or the last time you skipped stones across the lake?
Why did you make it your last and let it all fade?

When was the last time you saw the sun melt into the sea?
Or the last time you climbed a tree just to touch the sky?
The last time you lay on the grass looking up to the clouds in the sky…
Why did you make it your last? Why?

You never knew it’d be your last; your last time chasing fireflies or your last time skipping stones.
You never knew it’d be your last time touching the sky and letting some warmth get to your bones.
If you never knew it’d be your last then why did you stop?
Why did you stop letting the rain wash your face? Why did you stop skipping stones across the lake?

Open your eyes.
Who said it needed to be your last?
Go out there, do it all over again.
Run barefoot on the beach, let yourself roam free.
Go and climb another tree and see the sun melt into the sea.
Be as carefree as you used to be;
Because who was it really?
Who said that it needed to be your last?

You live between the space
of my fingers,
the caress between my lips.

I only remember when I forget.

Like last night
I thought of you, and it felt like
you were there.

Suddenly, my hands felt like yours
Were there.

Creep is such a bad word,
But there is no other way
to describe it.
I swear I was not thinking about you
only to realize that I was.

And then, I felt the familiar weight of your presence.

You live between the space of my thoughts,
somewhere that's not a dream
but also not just a memory.

When I close my eyes,
you are there,
and I question if you're thinking of me.

Every time I think
and I realize it—
you disappear.

But the weight
the weight of you
I'll never forget.

I only remember when I forget

Here we sit at the table,
of our life,
of our home.

It is just you and me,
to say what we feel,
to grow.

I want you to listen,
to my words,
without judgment.

I want you to see my struggles,
without opinions,
without trying to fix them.

I want you to see my struggles,
motivating me,
without pushing me to resolve them.

I wish for you to trust me,
without burdening me,
without demands.

I wish for you to help me,
without deciding for me.

I wish for you to care for me,
to protect me,
without erasing me.

I wish for you to look at me,
without projections,
without fear.

I wish for you to love me,
without suffocating me,
without binding me.

I want you to protect me,
without lies,
but with a true heart.

I want you to hold me,
not out of possession,
not by taking responsibility for me.

I wish for you to walk beside me,
without invading,
without controlling.

I wish for you to accept me,
every dark part of me,
without trying to change it.

I want us to see our struggles,
with empathy,
with solidarity.

I want that after every battle,
there is no resentment,
but peace reigns instead.

I wish for you to tell me everything you feel,
even the things that trouble you.

I want you to know,
that everything I ask of you,
I can give in return.

I wish for you to know,
that you can always count on me.

Take the scissors,  
And cut around the edges of my heart.  
Don't worry about how it looks.  
Fold whatever part of me  
That you need to make the first cut.  
I'd be surprised if you find any part  
Of me that's folded neat.  
The kaleidoscope of construction  
Paper that is me.  
  
I consider myself a collection  
Of scars and different colors—  
Of the things that I like and dislike.  
Even the wrinkled pieces of myself  
I've forgotten about.  
You've brought light to those pieces  
With each snip of your scissors.  
I've noticed how quiet and content  
You've become.  
  
You cut, and I bleed in color—  
Purple, blue, and yellow.  
Of all the shapes you've cut,  
None of them are painful.  
Watching you mix up the different color pieces of my soul,  
Your love, the stick glue that  
Gives these pieces more functionality.  
  
I breathe easier, knowing that you're here.
No longer restricted  
By stagnant stillness.  
You can even fold them into an  
Airplane and sail across the room.  
I haven’t had this much fun  
In a long time.
Don't forget the scrap pieces

The words from your letter drip like honey to my evening delight,
You brighten my soul through the beauty of your creativity
And bring colour to my world as the sun runs out of sight,
Pluck your daring heart from the tree of uncertainty,
And scribble with a smile your heat's intent.

Love is not a circus.
Still, I watched her perform.
I watched her spin around in circles
And pretend to fall.
I watched her paint her face red
And smear her clown mouth.
She laughed at things that weren't
funny, often mixing up the punch line.
Still, I watched her perform.
I watched while she loved another,
A man that didn't know she was there.
The audience could tell.
Any of us could.

None of the balloons that she carried
Seemed to float,
Pretending to trip and fall into our hands. The smeared makeup around her mouth twisted into a smile she didn't recognize.

After the show, she asked, if she really did fall would I catch her?
One of her smiles telling the ultimate truth, Smeared left then off right.
Like she brushed against something.
The start of the next show.
Those ill-fitting clothes weren't so ill
After all.

She fell towards his arms,
Hoping that he'd catch her.
Love is not a circus,
Although their stay is temporary.
Painted faces tell no tales.
Not all injuries heal the same