Teesta S
The Summer Always Whistles with Promises
This will be the year—cuddling with grass and picnic blankets on languid afternoons I know the breeze against my bare legs Hours that stretch beyond fair limits As the day dims, evening’s heat burns my cheeks A burnt amber light wrapped around the trees crickets and frogs chirp their song birds following along This will be the year And as August dwindles, sunsets begin to roar All this time and what have you done with it? See, the days string like honey falling from a jar all the hours and minutes tangle themselves up seconds and globs I lost myself in the sweetness, tripped over crystallized moments I stand on my wooden porch splinters sticking into my soles, arms tickled by the breeze Another year asking-- Why Starlight I ask them every night when they come back For they always do, Eyes winking at me, The wisdom of a thousand millennia shimmering through time Into the swollen folds of my heart that have grown too big for their home I have seen a thousand of you they blink I weep a song of want and sorrow What it would take to become one of you What I would have to do Float outwards into the air, riding the winds of antiquity To shine like you do To be beautiful like you Someone who everyone wants Has always wanted For as long as these words have existed |
Teesta S currently lives in Chicago, IL while pursuing a medical degree. Writing is one of her passions, allowing her to explore the complexities of her identity and weave together the threads of her personal journey and academic pursuits. As a second-generation American, she strives to illuminate the universal aspects of the immigrant experience while celebrating the kaleidoscope of cultural nuances that shape our narratives. She has had work previously featured in The Penn Review and The Menteur. She has also authored a short collection of poetry titled Delta and a non-fiction memoir, Conversations with my Thamma, a heartfelt homage to her family's resilience during the tumultuous times of Partition and Indian Independence.