Sometimes the Birds Come Back | An Introduction

I wrote an introduction for this book way before it was published. It was a way to journal and reflect on the themes of all the poems it contains. I then used what I wrote as a guide to write the book blurb. I think this introduction is beautiful and honestly something I wish I included into the book. Never-the-less, you can read it here. xo

Many people say they dream about their loved ones returning as a bird.  It is almost like a portal into another world.  Surely, there are many interpretations of this.  For me, hope whispers into my waking, allowing life to be more bearable and with a longing for more:  Beauty, memories, and moments that seep in slowly.  Like sunlight, like dandelion, like hot tea, and the breath in poetry.  All bringing back a little vitality into my life.  With this book, Sometimes the Birds Come Back, I come to you not from a religious perspective, but a spiritual one,  with remnants of my Indian culture, and as an observer of nature.  

A few summers ago, after many months of Texas heat, there was finally some rain in the forecast that actually came to fruition.  This was when the seeds of this collection began to emerge, right at the shifting of seasons.  There was relief and gratitude.  Somedays, grief would somehow announce itself in the shadows.  And I am reminded all over again of my loss.  I know from experience that grief alone destroys us.  It is harsh on our bodies just like “fruit rotting on the table.”  Like the effect of climate change on nature.  Sometimes, I would wonder whose grief I am grieving.

I have turned to nature again and again for solace and to breathe in its wisdom.  The resilience, ebb and flow, and beauty of it is rejuvenating.  Healing is a regular practice.  Like many things, writing has helped tremendously to process emotions.  However, I always say that I am an artist first.  Painting for me comes before language.  I find that it is the most expressive and true form of the raw feelings and thoughts that lie deep down in my bones - with hardly any words to express them.   Whatever it is you enjoy passionately, remember it, and practice it as often as you can.

Yoga became the one thing I could count on during the aftermath of my father's death ten years ago.   This practice stems from the deep devotion that my mother has for it.  In fact, I would say the backbone of this book stems from her faith in her yoga practices and the liberation she finds from them.  I find breathing is connected to many facets of nature.  I would even say, trees are breath and birds are breath.  Nature is life, and we are nature.  If we allow it, this connectedness is irresistible.

As we take care of ourselves, remember that there is much joy and gratitude to be reaped.  Perspectives slowly start to shift.  And as much as there is sadness in this book (what can I say, grief has a way of becoming a part of us), this book is just as much about happiness and is a love story between families, loved ones, and nature.

May Sometimes the Birds Come Back remind you to pause and take notice of your inner and outer space,  listen to what is calling to you, and take action according to your natural current, clearing the way forward.