Ever since I was a kid, my mom has been telling me to be patient. I don’t know how many times she has said, “Nothing happens before it is meant to be.” And so when Dad asked me why I took so long in getting my poems published, I said the same to him.
But it made me wonder. I have been writing like forever. I can’t remember a time I never wrote. I started collecting my poems and other writings in a note book when I was around 13. Yes, I did send a few poems to magazines and post them on Facebook, but why did it take me so long to actually put them out there in a book for the whole world to read? And why now? What had changed?
I realised I had. While I was definitely no longer the child who had started out writing poems, I had also evolved as a woman. As I went through life, living, loving, hurting, learning, forgiving both myself and others, teaching, reading, building new relationships, losing some, I changed.
I grew into myself. The self I wanted to be. Confident, compassionate, not afraid to love, not afraid to share myself.
My years as a trainer in a direct marketing organisation where the majority of sales people were women, made me realise that there are so many untold stories behind every face, so many hopes, so many dreams. It didn’t matter what walk of life you came from, some things are universally the same.
As I shared my poems with friends, I heard things like, “Oh my gosh! How did you know what I was feeling?” or “I can relate to this absolutely”. Some even cried as they read certain poems. And that is when I knew, I had to share this with others. With other women who felt the same, but maybe could not find the words to express it. I had to be their voice, not in a strident, revolutionary way, but in a compassionate, loving way.
And so though a few of the poems in my book, “Who shall I be today?” took a lot of guts to share, I just knew I had to. The time has come. It is meant to be.
P.S. I am giving away a free copy of my book. the offer is open for the next three days. So if you live in India, and would like to win a copy of “Who Shall I Be Today?”, just follow the instructions below.
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