“As immigrants, we always feel an obligation to the opportunities we’re presented with, even if there are glaring red flags staring right at us. Be aware of this irrational gratitude.” – In saying this one thing Jinal Shah made me feel seen in a way I didn’t even know was invisible. This whole piece is […]
Tag: women
I was not raised to be a girl
“Learn to be independent.” Every time I face a challenge that seems like an impossible obstacle and my own voice sows a seed of self-doubt in mind, I hear my father’s unequivocal voice demanding that I be independent – in thought and action. And every time I tide over stronger, eventually figuring it all out […]
Tradition
Passed down over generations Started by one It’s what has always been done // Don’t disobey elders, They know better, Why can’t a child know more? College is an institution that grooms your career Why can’t I, the world, explore? Marriage is a scared bond Between a man and a woman Why? Does love look […]
Masculinity
“You’re a man”, I thought, and then I let it go. “You’re so strong, so powerful”, I thought, and then I let it go. “You’re supposed to act with vigor and virility, you’re a man”, I thought, and then I let it go. “You’re supposed to lead, and I follow, you’re a man”, I thought, […]
High Hopes
There’s a lot going on / So much change all around / It makes me worry I’ll forget / The things that make life great / The things that made me me / All those cherished memories / So much in my head / A million new things every breath / Will all those old […]
Change
“It maybe that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.” – Wendell Berry I know not what I look for, or what I yearn / I know not what is missing […]
No One Tells You This
That one day you will be living in the city of your dreams / That one day day you will be living the life you hadn’t even dreamed of / That one day you will be living life outside the usual narrative, and it will be fabulous / That one day you will be sitting […]
When Words Fail
A little girl writes a poem on her father when tasked with writing about her hero… A girl makes a choice to choose her passion over others… A strong woman cites she owes it all to her mother… A self-made woman makes way in her life for a significant other… Women all colors and […]
Should I Pick You Up?
No, this was not a question from a friend asking me if they could pick me up, say from home as we headed out, but from a deli owner asking me with a half evil smirk as I tried to reach the top shelf to get some kitchen paper. I don’t know what it is […]
Do We Have No Choice?
This week’s New Yorker hosts a compelling read by journalist, Ben Taub, titled We Have No Choice. It is a story of young Nigerian girl, Blessing, and her journey from Benin City to Europe. The article covers so many topics. or should I say inhuman situations – human trafficking, prostitution, refugee conditions, smuggling, violence, blackmail […]