Monica’s poem captures childhood wonder, transforming chasing butterflies into a profound experience of freedom and joy, exclusively for Different Truths.

Barefoot, I slip through tall grass,
the world a gossamer of wild colours.
Sun warming my shoulders,
and I am small again.
Following the shimmer of wings
with that unhurried sense of time.
 
They flit and fly just out of reach
little flashes of freedom
dancing in open fields.
As if they know the weightlessness
of those young summers,
where each step felt like a promise.
 
I stretch my fingers forward,
almost tasting the sunlight.
A laughter rising, unmoored,
from somewhere deep in my belly.
As though to hold a butterfly
might stop the day from ending.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Monika Ajay Kaul

Born in the breathtakingly beautiful vale of Kashmir, Monika had her schooling there. A postgraduate in Business Management, an academician by profession, she is an art history enthusiast, writes poetry, short stories and paints. An avid reader, mostly biographies and autobiographies. Giving wings to her imagination through beautiful colours and words, she sings and has a following on YouTube.