Our corona diary.

[Text and photo by Uneza Irshad]

I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona… and I see
what an inquilabi I used to be
(I’ll always be )
I see the last winters
in a glimpse
the national flag
held high and high
women fearlessly singing songs of
resistance and
men serving them tea
I see youngsters painting walls
with revolutionary graffiti
I see pile of books
teaching us how to dissent
at the bus stand turned into library
I see candles lighten up
by the night soldiers
showing how peaceful a protest can be.
I see children, elder younger
of all ages
Sloganeering in unison
And then
I see myself
standing in the crowd
hanging out the banners
painted with Ehtijaj poetry
Neither it was Hong Kong
nor Kashmir
it was our Delhi
And with a blink of eyes
I see the deserted road
and corona comes in

“We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close my eyes in my self-isolation from Corona… and I see…” Not more than 100 words. With a horizontal-sized selfie, along with your city name… please mail to me at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.