The Mountains Saved My Life

By Nayanika Bhatia

Today I'll tell you a story

Of a genial, Haridwar man,

He was the owner of a restaurant,

Serving tourists of the land.

He was hard-working and busy,

A dutiful father of two,

This is the tale he was eager to share,

Something from his days long ago.

He said - I want to thank a girl,

A girl who saved my life,

She met me when I was sad,

At a moment to end my life.

She took me to the mountains,

We travelled to her tribe,

They left me with the cattle,

And vistas I can't describe.

They insisted on fresh food,

They fed me till I cried,

They overlooked my fears,

And rescued my pride.

The wind would speak in whispers,

The rivers sang their song,

The earth beneath my weary feet

Taught me where I belonged.

The Aaama sang a lori,

And all of us went to sleep.

The Bubu shook us up awake,

At dawn, to milk the sheep.

The mountains showed me kindness,

And that's what saved my life,

I came back put together.

I pushed away the knife.

And even after all that healing,

The hardest truth I learned,

The greatest gift of all

Is to know you're not alone.

By Nayanika Bhatia