Shapeshift

I focus on a tree,
Will myself to become it.

Lushness branching out of my chest
A deep brown centre nestling lives within
Feet planted in red earth

I breathe in and out,
Listening for the sound of sprouting inside me,
When a sparrow looks me in the eye
And I know I’ve got it all wrong.

First,
I must stand up straight.

---

Ankita Anand’s writing has travelled through India, Pakistan, Singapore, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, the US, Germany and the UK. She is also a journalist, and her work has been supported and awarded by multiple fellowships and awards in India and outside.

Illustration by C.B. Auder.

NEXT – Stellar

PREVIOUS – empty stare

RETURN to Issue Eleven