Not Sure What To Title This — But I Hope You Are Well.

One thing about fighting an illness your doctor describes vaguely as “barrelling towards an autoimmune disease if your allergies are out of control” is that you lose sight of what you need versus what you don’t. Often that line is blurry and for me, it is pretty much non-existent.

I hate it. It almost feels like I cannot eat anything and which is why I gave up and landed up with TWO eating disorders. Feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and today it was particularly heavy.

That said, this is not what this is about. In fact, I have some idea of how to control my diet, but after a point, I have to give that control to a nutritionist.

The point of this newsletter was to share with you a small life update + a poem by Joy Harjo that I think is particularly nice. Titled, “Perhaps The World Ends Here”, it is one of my favorite poems. Here it is:

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

Nice, right? Here are some other poems of hers you should read:

• For Keeps
• Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
• Eagle Poem
• Everybody Has a Heartache: A Blues
• Grace

I hope this is good enough. Thank you for reading so far!

With love,

Amulya.