Prisha Khimavat

An empty bedroom

Once, covered in muddy footprints

And loud giggles that bounced off walls.

Now, shining white and empty

And so quiet it’s almost eerie.

An empty bed

One that enjoyed the company of books

And a flashlight that shone under covers each night.

The books, now, share a bed with another

And the flashlight lays in pieces somewhere or the other.

The study table remains unstudied on.

The perpetually messy cupboards,

Now packed neatly in two bags.

The walls, once covered with posters and pictures

Lay bare, the glaring emptiness a constant reminder

The start of a new chapter

A venture into the unknown,

The ending and beginning

Approaching simultaneously.

All eyes fill with tears,

As time runs out on watches

A life of eighteen years,

Now, packed into bags and boxes.

About a year ago from today, I ventured into the unknown, a new chapter of my life. I moved to Singapore for University. I had thought that meeting new people and forming new friendships would be the hardest part, but truly, leaving home and a whole life behind was the hardest. It’s not just the people you leave behind, but the rooms you spent your life in, places of familiarity, places that you went to for solitude and inspiration. A whole lifetime of memories left behind. But now, having a whole year pass by, I’d say that any place that you have loved dearly, any place a memory has been formed in, is somewhere etched in your mind. I’m not going to lie, it sucks, being homesick really sucks, but somewhere in the midst of classes, schedules, and friendships, you create another home for yourself. A place where you find comfort and grow into a person of your own, a place where you make mistakes and learn how to fix them. A place that may not be the one where you became the person you are, but rather one where you will grow into the person you will be for the next chapter of your life.

~ Prisha Khimavat ~