Winter by Gayatri Hingorani
When we entered the winter of our relationship, nothing made sense.
Conversation looked like snowflakes falling aimlessly.
Love smelled like napthalene from an old sweater.
Lust felt like chapped lips on a chilly evening.
Togetherness tasted like hot cocoa gone cold.
We waited for the season to change,
But our hearts didn't care to orbit.
Grow by Maure Nava
she grows seeds,
singing her agony
pouring her ichor
feeding he flesh
from the chest – she
once cut opened
‘n cried into
Season to just be by Paulomi Chakraborty
It's the season to just be,
So take it a little easy.
Wrapped in the scent of mothballs,
Hole yourself up in your four walls.
Light up your hearth,
Warm up your heart,
It's time to take things slowly,
And take a break from reality.
And if you're not ok, it's fine,
Today you might feel a bit queasy,
But it'll be alright in time,
Healing is never easy.
Soak up the sunshine,
It's all going to be fine,
For spring will be here soon,
Singing its lively tune.
For now, breathe in the chill,
And let your busy head fill,
With all that's warm and fuzzy,
After all, it's the season to just be.
Winter by Gayatri Lakhiani Chawla
Burry the ashes of your broken heart-
in a Quadra rose plant
dig the soil- with both your hands
let the tears, flow right through
they say it’s a dark moon ritual
cutting the cord-from the source
sometimes there’s no other way to closure
but healing- the wound within-
and in the end- when you sit up and notice
all the pain sweetens the air
like the morning bird song.
to your prejudice by Nidhi Chhamb
I say and say and say and say
To breathe out all of it
Words. Gutting Words.
Back from two Decembers ago.
Somewhere on the face of the earth
I hope that you’re vexed each time that I say And remove the heavy chokes
To make room for fresh feelings.
**
I see that your orange has blossomed into envy While mine still refuses to forget the joy that we felt On a checkered and warm afternoon
In a green winter that swarmed with wreaths & buntings. Yet, I continue to keep on saying,
Until your sails are forced off my shore.
And I’m free till when again?
winter chapters by Yana
i put on a coat
and sit outside , on my porch
even though it’s very cold , i like it
you see, i like winters
unlike so many people i know
who’s winters are equivalent to blues
winters to me are healing
even though the cold freezes my bones
how would i know the feeling of warmth without it
how would i know what it feels like
to have hot chocolate slide in
when your body is numbing down
the feeling of warmth reviving you
filling in the sad blues
how would you know joy
if melancholy didn’t once haunt you
About the artist:
Shreyasi Das is a Textile Poet and Animation Artist of South Asian descent, living and working in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish people (colonially known as British Columbia, Canada). Shreyasi believes in the power of therapy and transformation through art, with a focus on healing her own chronic illness and participating in environmental stewardship. Find her work on her website or Instagram @art_of_ezdee
About the poets:
Maure is a writer and poet who lives for iced latte with cream, especially caramel. Poetry is his kneel down reward, praise, preach, worship, gratitude to what he feels. Follow him on Instagram @maure_nava
Gayatri Lakhiani Chawla is an award-winning poet, translator, and French teacher from Mumbai. She is the author of two poetry collections, Invisible Eye and The Empress. Her poem won a special mention award by Architectural Journalism and Criticism 2020. She won the Panorama Special Jury Award at the Panorama International Literary Awards 2020. Her poem was shortlisted by Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT). Her poem won first prize at The New Normal Poetry competition by Poetry Paradigm, Oxford Bookstore, and Exceller Books. She has won the Rahi Kadam Inspiration Award 2021. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, teenage daughter, four potted plants and deck of candid tarot cards. Follow her on Instagram @gayatri_chawla
Gayatri Hingorani is a part of the corporate grind but enjoys creative writing in the rare free time she gets. This is the first time she is letting her poetry out in the world. You can find her on Instagram @gayatri_h and @verse_off
Paulomi is an introverted business analyst with a penchant for traveling, reading, kpop, anime, and occasionally writing while getting lost in her thoughts. She believes the right words have a healing and transformative effect on people. You can find her at @paulomireads and @amipaulomi
Nidhi is a postgraduate student at the Centre for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She believes that poetry has saved her during the pandemic and therefore engages with it to make sense of what she's been feeling. One of her poems was recently featured in the ROPES Literary Journal. You can send her links for poetry pages and podcasts @nidhichhamb on Twitter.
yana is a young poet from bangalore. she began writing poetry during the pandemic and found herself completely and madly in love with it. since then, her work has been published in more than four anthologies and featured on several e-magazines. follow her work on instagram @doityanaa