It’s a pain keeping your culture awake
with the slurs,
the oppression,
and the casual racism.
But if only I could show you how much they want to be you,
they don’t even know themselves.
The mehndi on your hands,
they envy the beauty.
Your grandma’s passed down sarees you drape across your body on Diwali,
they’ll never find in any designer store across the world.
The music as beautiful as nature’s melodies,
the raang of holi
the languages that all belong in the arms of India
the dances
the voices
the seasons
the fragrances
the food
the love
they’ll never know,
because they aren’t
you.
*raang: Hindi word meaning colors
Edited by: Claire Xin
Cover Art by: Shania Vensel
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