Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who dreamt to fly,
so very high
that…errrr…uhmmm… yes…very high indeed.

Little did she know, the highway to the stars was bumpy,
pitted and lumpy
this was told in some tales, the ones she didn’t’ read.

Good.

Too much knowing could scorch her wings, squash her spirit,
stomp on it, rip it,
before she took off and learnt what it means to be freed.

Enroute she confronted the implacable caprices of Fate
Monsters of grief, rage, hate
shielded by Angels of love in times of desperate need.

Battered wings, weathered soul, wizened brow
The gifts of time that brought know-how
A little girl’s odyssey that planted the seed.

To live and to tell stories of worlds unseen
To know that to fly is prized indeed
But to walk with grace – that’s the real deed.

Swati is a sister, storyteller, a filmmaker, an environmentalist and a first generation immigrant to the United States. She can be reached via Linkedin and swati@TiredAndBeatup.com