I’m honoured my pamphlet ‘Unseen Veins’ was chosen as 2nd runner up in the 2022 Aryamati poetry prize for pamphlets on the theme of social change and peace. Thank you for the recognition, Fly on the Wall Press.
[About ‘Unseen Veins’:
In this poetry pamphlet, the complexities of how we label ourselves and where we belong are laid bare. From the place where we are born, to our parents’ heritage, to our name’s origin, we are asked to ‘choose a side’. This poet hopes for a world where their children can choose their own identity.
Isabelle said: “I was blown away by Natasha’s ability to capture the complexities of identity and not shy away from both the more challenging questions of societal boxes and what that meant for her children.]
Today’s Fly on the Wall blog post spotlighted “Our Moon”, one poem from my pamphlet.
No better day to have “Our Moon” published on the Fly on the Wall blog than today : Full moon November 2022, also a total lunar eclipse.
Our Moon
Can I keep my children
from their need to belong?
From knowing:
coiled chongololos
inswa, the smell of wet soil,
of incense and garbas,
nshima and chicken curry.
They live city
lights, endless towers,
Hong Kong, Chengdu,
Bangkok, and the island
of broken dreams.
They roam free
in disconnection, and
they pine for more;
who am I? do I
belong? they wonder.
Our moon unites us,
it rises into the shared night sky
shines the same light on us all
regardless of what, how, where
or who we call home.
The next steps in this work includes hopefully publishing the pamphlet with some of my visual art included, as well as creating videos, spoken word and live performances around it.
Natasha Devalia 