Friday, April 24, 2015

Reflections, in two parts...

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.