What is life?
Is it being born?
Having a family
Or a journey to the other world perhaps?
The child inside me wanted to explore.
On that delightful day of spring
A guest on the door bell would ring
And bring in the New Normal,
While the child continued to look for an answer on the question of life.
Soon the normal seemed to fade
With new laws passed by the state .
LOCKDOWN! They said
A treat for the newly arrived guest.
Home turned to office
Phone the new classroom.
The streets once full of life
Seemed lost in gloom.
Traffic fast asleep
The busy industries at rest
Nature must be happy now,
The child inside me said .
What a delight it was to see
The rustic come to life!
No buzz, no rush
Just confusing peace.
For once nature smiled
And showed its brightest colors
Away from pollution grey.
But oh ! The grey that filled my mind
The child longing for home ,
Each day I felt a stranger
To the place I assumed to belong.
People I knew felt like those I never met
Fear and anxiety made a place in my head.
A cough once so fragile
Now enough to ring bells of fear
And pave the way for the guest.
Happiness post a month
For the child was finally home.
But bound by the taunting chains of judges
Accused of being a companion of the guest.
Is this life ?
The child inside me asked .
Nothing but colored dullness
With lightning changes
A constant uncertainty.
I replied what the guest taught me,
Perhaps life is a journey to the other world
Marked by a learning to accept change
And grow in the process.
The child inside me took her time
Learned of a normal new
Accepted the guest’s offer of change
And threw fear and anxiety in a cage.
Then with colors painted her dull life bright.
And continued exploring the question of life.
–Yavisau Ekaterina Sekhose
‘The Guest’ is a poem which is based on the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects the personal experiences of the writer. It seeks to point out the rapid changes in day-to-day lives brought by the pandemic while throwing light on the psychological challenges and social stigma that one has to go through, especially if that individual is a returnee from outside. However, the returnee in this case is one traveling to his /her district within the Nagaland state.
This project stresses on the importance of accepting change and maintaining a positive attitude during difficult times. It points out that there is a positive in every negative situation.
Yavisau Ekaterina Sekhose
M.A
Tetso College
Featured Image Credit: Khriesinuo Anastasia Sekhose