In one breath, she pressed
her past and present flat between the pages of a seedling desire to stand steady on the balance beam of her thoughts—
In one breath, she pressed
her thoughts flat between the pages of a deep den of yearning to take action, flip the switch
and step into her full self; no more flattened between the pages of her thoughts and desires; standing instead, atop a crest, reaching out in every direction.
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
Illustration by Deema Alawa Brown girl, fragile by Sonia Chintha I swim in the clear soup of your fragility A backstroke that inevitably feels like
she likes to dream big dreams she gets excited about it all greener grass, driving down curvy roads laying on the sand, watching the clouds
My silence seemed like abandonment, neglect, angry to you on those days when I asked for a reprieve, a moment to gather, mourn, feel. It