Satyen Pal

I belong

I belong to thriving plants

curry leaf and Tulsi,

flowers on my windowsill.

I belong to a small apartment

across from the fire rescue squad.

I belong to not liking summer,

to arguing with my brother,

to not knowing my maternal grandfather.

I belong to well-read Harry Potter books

and laundry I do every weekend.

I belong to Diwali, Holi, and Durga Puja,

to eating with a movie on Fridays,

to Sunayna and Soumitra.

I belong to buying what’s cheap

and being there for each other.

I belong to “Aapka shaadi hai?”

and “Stop reading books—clean your room,”

and the whiff of pakoras in the kitchen.

I belong to flute playing Krishna

and Ganpati Bappa Morya.

Belong to Pongal and chapati with paneer,

to the lives my immigrant parents are building.

I belong to the walls my parents rent in Maryland.

-        Satyen Pal

Link to video recording. It is slightly more than 100 MB https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lt6Ln6yhPxw4alNX15bTeCzbQ8GRVCmI/view?usp=sharing