When I Look at my Hands ⋆ Eve Poetry ⋆ Poetry Feature

When I Look at my Hands by Aashna Aggarwal

When I look at my hands,
I see my mother’s string of rosary beads
wrapped around her delicate fingers;
her mind sunk in prayer;
the string held as tight as she held
my body frame inside her womb.
I see the food she made
warming herself in
the flame of her stove,
her hands the colour of turmeric
and wheat.
I see her black hair
with hints of silver in between,
just like the crosses and stars
spread across my palm.
She would hold my hands when I cried tears of pain,
and when things slipped out
of my own hands,
she would collect the fallen sand,
mould them into a sword
and hand it to us,
so we can protect the kingdom we call our body
and learn to love it.
My hands, you see,
are more hers than mine
so much so that
her love is the dough
of my baked body,
her rosemary scent
is embedded in my palms,
the lines on my hands
trace the wrinkles on her face.

Aashna Aggarwal

Since I was twelve, I have constantly been fighting wars with myself. I’ve been on this battlefield called my mind for as long as I can remember, and since giving up is never an option, I decided to write. As

a beginner, I rambled around with words a lot. I used to write until my mind exhausted itself completely. Sometimes I wrote with such vigour that my fingers swelled up and even started bleeding. Slowly, I was able to weave my words into poetry.

Although it has only been three years since I wrote something for the first time, in my journey as a writer, I have seen immense growth. I have healed in so many different ways. The process has never been linear, but it has always been beautiful.

For inspiration, I try looking at the world from different perspectives. I try to make every beautiful moment I witness immortal with the help of my art. I try to travel and explore as much as I can so that I can gather everything that the world has to offer me.

India, my motherland is a place so beautiful, one can never get tired of relishing its diversity and charm. It truly is the Land of the Gods. Living in such a beautiful country, I find creative outlets everywhere, at the end of every street, at every corner where an old man with a long grey beard sits playing the flute and even the little kids in pigtails that run around flying kites.

Writing is something that is very close to my heart. Writing, to me, is like entering an alternate universe where I can be whatever I desire. Not being able to write, leaves me in such an intense hysteria, that everything else seems impossible. I have a website where I write about advice, different life lessons and stories that I’ve picked up along my journey through life, fashion tips and showcase my photography. I have also been working on a book for a while.

Aashna on Instagram

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