A Traveller’s Journal: North

(30.4598° N, 78.0644° E)

I’ve arrived in the city of solitude

I’ve left the four walls of my sheltered existence

And now I proceed, in search for an inarticulating desire

To learn something new on this high altitude

I’m constantly challenging myself-

Moving towards the steep hill,

Crossing few yards of the lychee orchard

There are tall trees of deodar ahead of me

I’ve been on the road

With people who’ve fluttering hearts,

Who are voracious storytellers

I’ve strolled on the streets,

Drank variety of tea in the cafes,

Been an admirer of the staple cuisine

Have spend hours on the narrow bends

That never seems to end

Perhaps, I’m just like you

Finding my way back

Through the highs and lows

From the mountains to the lush green meadows

Chasing the sun,

Embracing this perpetuation of beauty

As it slowly engulfs me with warmth

And nurtures my spirit with love

I take a detour,

Towards a path;

Bit rough around the edges of the moor

Here I feel a cold diversion in wind

Making me dabble to sync with the surroundings

I stood there,

On the elevation that seems to be a mirage

Here the surrealism of reality is breaking the barriers of illusion

While I am stealing

Little moments of leisure from my clustered mind

Only to acknowledge this through my eyes,

That in this silence there is an echo of the void

But a muffled voice from behind

Disrupts my fall,

Bringing me back to where I belong

With my people,

Here, I’m not alone, not anymore

And maybe if I tend to lose myself again

I firmly believe,

I’ll find my way back

As I’ll keep track of my footsteps

And one day, my search will end

One day, my search will end

Till then, I’ll be vivaciously striving for more

In some other unknown destination

Searching for home

– Shubhangi Rawat