My Forest

By Nayanika Bhatia

When I was small, they’d always say,

"Eat the fruit, and throw the seed away,

For if you eat, a tree will grow,

Right in your stomach, I'll have you know."

Now that I'm older,

I wish it were true.

I’d love to have my own forest

Alive and new.

My veins, my heart, a wooded place,

Where life and leaves could interlace.

I’d wake up to birds with voices bright,

And butterflies in morning light.

Daytime would be the swaying of the trees,

Afternoons would bring a calm breeze,

A peaceful, verdant, drowsy spell,

Where nature whispers, all is well.

At night, I’d sleep, serenely still,

Lulled by cricket songs & hooting trills,

And every single fruit I eat,

Will give rise to a different tree,

Inside my body, a forest deep,

Where roots and dreams in silence sleep.

By Nayanika Bhatia