Hello Friends
Last year, I penned a few poems for submissions to online magazines, and most of them didn’t make the cut. For this week’s blog, I decided to bring one such poem to you, which I feel makes sense only partially now. The Pandemic has changed our lives in multiple ways, but the invasion of ‘online’ life is the most prominent change. Coupled with that, our inability to connect with people, an unknown fatigue of being ‘social’. Which is ironical too, because all our lives we learnt that man is a social animal. Maybe, we wish to ‘lean in’ but an unrecognized emotion holds us back. Honestly, my inbox messages continue to remain unread for days on end.
This poem was composed in June 2021, towards the end of the second peak.
We Become
Hissing rains and fervid viruses
obscured outdoors.
We quantify staying indoors
in cups of coffees, teas
and oily pakoras.
Our broken bodies
from work on screens
no longer willing to stroll,
crochet layers of sagging skin
that no longer fits in
measuring tapes.
Our hearts pull apart
phone calls retire hurt
and inbox messages
die unread.
We carry the heavy weight
of our days and walk uphill,
unable to see the summit.
We become clumsy dancers
and battle over labels
acquired online.
Or run forward on Netflix,
our patience like candles,
sniffed out.
We drape taffeta
and smear the lipstick,
pretending happiness on screens.
And occasionally we do
the Pranayams,
because we want to be
intimate streams, leaning in,
but all we become
are two ships
passing in the night.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva andNoor Anand Chawla.’
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A Hundred Quills 
Very evocative descriptions of a difficult time in all of our lives.
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Thank you for reading Noor💐
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Beautiful words, yes that was the time we were searching for our life in our tea cups and Netflix
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Thank you Swati
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For some unknown reason, this image : “smear the lipstick, pretending happiness on screens.” captures the mood of the poem for me.
As always, an honest, self-reflective pouring of your heart.
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Yes, though it’s already beginning to feel like another era.
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So nicely written! You are wonderful with words
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So true and beautifully written. Pandemic changed so many things around us.
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The way you have penned it is amazing. Loved it as it was so relatable.
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I loved the way you have combined and penned down our online routie, effects and how we feel about the same. Just loved every word of the poem.
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Uff, your words…. Such a beautiful Poem!!!
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This is exactly the pandemic impacted our lives. You have beautifully penned down the situation.
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How beautifully have you penned a common suffering that broke and united the world, simultaneously.
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How pandemic has changed our life. Your musings are the reflection of all our lives.
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How beautifully you’ve woven the harsh reality suffered by most. The pandemic is definitely a life lesson learnt.
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Beautiful! Loved your choice of words, Sonia. Could completely relate to it even as things are opening up. This constant need to be positive and upbeat is so superficial and a pain.
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I could relate much to this poem which was our state. But I’m not a people’s person and I delivered during tey pandemic so I was thankful I didn’t have many visiting us.
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Beautifully penned. Iam an ambivert & this pandemic was kind of a boon only in the sense that i didn’t have to meet many people 😀
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this is soo turee and beautiful! love your writing style
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I could relate to it, the composition of words are beautiful.
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I loved how you penned down the true feelings of everyone. Its the same thing we are doing everyday and it is taking a troll on us.
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Lovely words. We all can relate to it. Pandemic and staying cooped in indoors was difficult for all of us. Hope this is the end of the pandemic now.
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Lovely poem that is so apt to every thing we all went through.
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What an imagination like the words you have put it “crochet layer of sagging skin” enjoyed reading.
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‘but all we become
are two ships
passing in the night.’
It’s a wonderful composition. Interesting choice of words. And so relatable.
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It is very difficult to live in the same old routine day in and day out an force ourselves to stay the same always. It feels like a trek uphill with no summit. I could feel each and every word you have poured out in the poem. It becomes very difficult to break through and find a new path and the added weight of pandemic which has forced many to just have a fake smile but internally we were all breaking up.
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Though this pandemic was extremely harsh but thought us some very important life lessons. You expressed it so vividly that I could feel that pain and agony that I felt back then.
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Amazing… love your words and how they fit in perfectly to create a beautiful piece of work.
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This touched me. I think it captured the emotions of being forced to be indoors and live out a routine day after day with no respite
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Your choice of words is exquisite, Sonia! We danced, applied lipsticks for screens and survived on OTT but in the end we were waiting for the night to end.
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What imagery, Sonia. Crochet layers of sagging skin is a gem so is we become clumsy dancers and battle over labels! Your poem is stark candid and blunt but it is great.
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This resonated with me, Sonia. Deftly and accurately portrayed.
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…crochet layers of sagging skin…
…or run forward on Netflix…
Such an exquisite choice of words, Sonia! This poem is a treasure. Words to look back on when, and if, life turns back to normal.
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True ! I sometimes feel so bad when I reply someone after a long days.
Believe me , sometimes I don’t want to check my phone as it has invaded so badly in our lives.
I helped us to sail through difficult times , yet have to halt this ship for a while so that we could connect with real life….
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I loved how you portrayed the fake happiness we loved to wear for the sake of our dear ones during the pandemic. Very nicely written.. 😊
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