Presences – Tanushree Mandal

I can’t ever know the sky
In the way of the magpie.
I can’t ever know how it feels
For a gentle breeze
To susurrate beneath,
Coloured butterfly wings.
I can’t ever know how it is
To be able to hear
Silent beckonings from trees
Yet the squirrel can, from within,
Pacing up and down in utter glee.
I can’t ever know the warmth
That a mole senses,
Secluded inside the ground,
It finds light even in darkness.

But I know what I can.
I can learn from each one of them
To take my place in their universe
And carry forward the message
That this world has enough space
For all of us to live in.

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 Tanushree Mandal holds an M.A. in English from Diamond Harbour Women’s University, and a B.Ed. from Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University. She has been a dedicated teacher of English at Convergence since January 2024, and teaches the language at various levels.