Artwork by Tulika
Before Love
clean kitchen platform in the morning has a story, if kindness, to tell
undone buttons of a crease-less shirt on the hanger has a story, of care and support, to tell
visiting card and a picture behind it in the wallet, little notes on the side table
same bookmark, different book
tip-toeing, silent prayers, slow winks have a story, of sincerity, to tell.
Before love, there are stories, there are leavers, there are takers and the ones who didn’t learn how to spell mercy.
There is prolonged sadness of losing before love.
There is undying hope against better judgment of the world.
Hours of silence, of learning the texture of their skin below which the heart beats, hours of just being
Before love, there is letting go and greater good and selfish ink.
Before love,
there is love,
until
Kaushiki is a page and stage writer and poet. Her mini-book Chia has recently been published by Terribly Tiny Tales and her other written work has been published by Delhi Poetry Slam, The Bengaluru Review and the like. Her spoken word poetry has been recognised by several prestigious platforms like Terribly Tiny Tales, Kommune and Spoken, India; Bhutan Literary Festival, Bhutan and The Poetry Cafe, London. She believes in the power of stories and language, and that they hold the magic which can change the world into what we really want it to be! On the days you don’t see her writing, you can find her painting a canvas, doing pottery or just slipping off staircases! Find her work on Instagram.