Forgiving

192

The entrance —
tall, menacing, reaching
to the skies
yet so narrow, yet just enough
for me to squeeze in
but I do
and move
forward
leaving behind
past grudges

The path onward
crude, cobbled
oppressively dark
trepidation closing in on me from all sides
yet I take my first step
and the next
and the next —
my every next step
imbibing in me
a strength
that makes light
the precarious journey

Poet’s Bio

Vidya Shankar, an English Language teacher and a ‘book’ in the Human Library, is the author of The Flautist of Brindaranyam (in collaboration with her photographer husband, Shankar Ramakrishnan), and The Rise of Yogamaya (an effort to sensitize her readers about mental health). Her never-say-die attitude brought her to be featured in a unique coffee table book, ‘50 Inspiring Women boys and girls should read about, Chennai Edition. She explores the meaning of life through poetry and yoga.