When writing this poem, I thought of the first time I visited India. The enchanting smells, unforgettable sounds, exotic foods, intricate architecture and inspiring stories all came back to me. I remembered how much history and pride I was surrounded by. Being born and raised in England, I sometimes forget the beauty of my motherland, India. The feeling of being able to visit your roots is indescribable. It was the first time I really felt like I had come home after a long day at work.
I am the solved riddle. I am the imagery writers want their readers to see in their metaphors. I wouldn’t say it is a “battle of cultures” that is inside me. I would say it is more of a smooth blend. A beautiful blend of red, blue, white, orange and green. A blend of fish, chips, and pakoras. A blend of British Rap and Bollywood. A mixture that has moulded me into the best me I could ever be.
Always remember to stay true to you. You are a recipe no chef can cook. The blend of spices, sauces, vegetables, and sugars that make you taste the best when they are mixed by your hands. A gift, nobody else has. You will never find anyone exactly like you. Despite this, you will always have someone to talk to. Somebody who uses the same spice as you do. Or somebody who likes the same sugars as you. You can always teach a chef how to make you. Just like how you can teach someone how to love you. You are never alone.
[Read Related: Mama’s Life Through Partition]
From Salt to Turmeric
The journey
from my home to my palace
from the hive to the flower
from my veins to my heart
felt like
I was returning to my dreams
returning to the unknown
returning home
salt turned to turmeric
jeans turned to silk
water turned to lassi
cars transformed into rickshaws
the rain falling from the bleak sky
turned to crimson powers
falling out of the sky on Holi
a diva lamp’s rays
penetrate through the sadness
stress and madness
that lingers around the world
to present
hope, realisation, and commitment
to those who need it
the spirit of India
captivates forgotten dreams
that dance around in space
and plants them into its soil
so, they can grow
and play with the world
-I saw colours that I had never seen until I visited India
[Read Related: Colonization, Displacement and the Indo-Caribbean Identity]
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