Poems By Shikha S. Lamba 

Longing



If he had ever asked her, 
what it was she wanted from their life together,
she would have shown him a photograph of a sunny,
winter verandah covered in palms and bougainvillea.

She would have whispered gently about how 
they could plant their sorrows deep in shallow soil,
in her favourite ceramic pots, like saplings sown to bloom.

She would have pointed out the cracks on the tiles
the floor wore, and he would have laughed and said, 
show me something that’s not broken.

Despite his pessimistic humour, she would have laughed with him and 
offered to paint the verandah walls a bright blue, 
because disappointment cannot live for long inside the colour of hope.

She would have shown him the sun suspended between branches,
and bathed their skins in platinum moonlight, and even when he 
would question the brilliance of both stars, she would remind him, 

that, here they will never be without light even in the dark.

If he had ever asked her, what it was she wanted from their life together,
she would have said, let’s build our foundation here, within these familiar walls.
Let’s start with a sapling before promising each other the world.

When She Spoke to Her Grandmothers of Love



If they say they will be with you always, 
know that they are not lying. 

They don’t know yet, that the years will
play upon them differently than they imagine,

right now, offering promises like golden
tipped roses never to wilt or fade,

know that they don’t mean to leave. 
They don’t mean to leave you or 

leave you with scars that will etch themselves
like acid across your being.

They won’t know this is who they become
as they see you over the years - become yourself.

No - they mean what they say now, so believe them.
Believe them and smell the bouquet

while the roses are still fresh and blooming gold,
while the fresh scent of you is still appealing.

About the Poet:

Shikha S. Lamba is a jewelry designer and poet living in Hong Kong.  She is also the co-editor of an online magazine, Coffee and Conversations. In love with all things creative, she has contributed poetry and articles for various publications in Hong Kong, US and India over the years. Passionate about raising awareness about women’s health and mental health issues through her writing, Shikha’s poems often touch on themes of feminism and social injustice.

She admittedly lives a big portion of her life online and can be found on most social media sites for her writing, jewelry and magazine.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/shikhaslamba

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/shikhaslambapoetry/