Sister Soni

Dr Jyothsnaphanija profiles a compassionate principal in this verse – exclusively for Different Truths.

If I think of her now, I see her as
A strict and compassionate principal
of a school or College for girls
who come in bright uniforms, silky smiles
And radiance in voices
as softer rain
equal to the sister’s voice,
Learning sisterhood in reality.
 
“Sister, can you write in our language?”
Mother language teacher asked.
I heard her reading Telugu poems
with such effortlessness
During my graduation days.
“Sister, if I have to ask 1 question,
That would be how many years you took to
learn to speak our language?
To write with your Malayalam syllables guiding?”
Our language in her child-like voice
Is fair snow on the new arrival.
She told me once, “count on all your appreciation.”
The other day she said,
“never feel defeated, my younger one.”
Now I understand
She would have thought,
“what will I do here
if I don’t know how they speak?”
Having our language on her tuning  fingers,
She showed me
The greatness of being a part of this world.

Glossary:

Telugu: a language that’s spoken in Andhra Pradesh, India
Malayalam: a language spoken in Kerala, India.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Dr Jyothsnaphanija

Dr Jyothsnaphanija teaches English Literature at ARSD College (University of Delhi), India. Her first poetry collection Ceramic Evening was published in 2016. Her poems most recently have appeared and are forthcoming in The Handy, Uncapped Pen, Wishbone Words, The Hopper, Bosphorus Review of Books and others.