Grief in Confined Spaces
By Aashika Suresh
I can feel my heart,
like an asteroid moving
through the space
of my chest — the heaviness
travelling from left to centre,
meteorites tumbling
into my shoulders,
thighs, toes.
In the morning, I resist
the news invasion. I go through
the day in definite motions –
slow and measured.
I fill my water bottle, listen
to the ripple in steel
before I take a sip. I pay attention
to how the liquid passes through
my esophagus. When I write a quote
about Grief from Elizabeth Gilbert
in my journal, my fist on the sheet
is a soft wave, moving as if
it’s the first time I am
putting pen to paper.
Deep breaths,
a sudden surge
of emotions –
I let myself
linger…
in time,
there will be
enough room.
to relearn
everything
about what
the living do.
Aashika Suresh is a writer, dreamer and sunlight-seeker based in Chennai. She was shortlisted for the 11th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize (2019). Her feature articles and poetry have been published in various literary journals and magazines.
