snow
It is in Nainital or Mussoorie that
I first meet a patch of snow.
Crowds of us are herded
to makeshift kiosks where we rent
gloves and skull caps,
equipping ourselves for the
special event.
Thick magic has lain there for months,
sourced by enterprising guides –
a solitary white coat on a muddy hillside
that has been allowed to remain.
I venture to the slope,
touch the compact powder,
hold it in my gloved palms,
and marvel at the pain
that soaks through to my skin
almost immediately.
The white winter I’d heard of
takes on a different texture.
I watch the others pose for photographs,
laughing, chattering,
while the seconds continue to fuse
to my fingers, turning time
into an ice sculpture
in my hands.
I watch the white slope turn pale yellow.
I watch until it melts into a thin nothing.
I stand, waiting
to be herded back,
my frozen hands burdened
with the universe.
We leave the hillside,
having lost the better part of a day
forever
but I hold time tightly in my fist
and imagine the beauty of
untouched snow.
About the poet:
Suchita Parikh-Mundul is a freelance writer, copy editor, and poet. She’s written for The Swaddle and Femina, among others. Her poetry has appeared in Sahitya Akademi’s Indian Literature, Visual Verse, Yugen Quest Review, Life and Legends, Plato’s Caves Online, and others, as well as some anthologies. She won the city-wide Poetry Tournament hosted by Dosti House and Rochelle Potkar’s Creative Collective in 2019, and was runner-up in eShe’s national Lockdown Poetry Contest in 2020.
About the artist:
Winnie Chan is a mixed media artist originally from Hong Kong and currently based in UK. She graduated from Chelsea College of Art, University of the Arts London with MA Fine Art in 2015. Chan’s works are her life experiences, introspection and her personal response to global issues. Exploration of her bicultural identity, emotional struggles and the interconnectedness between our consumption patterns and environment. You can find her work on Instagram @_chanwinnie and website.