Ode to Smriti
She does not do fancy titles,
You’ll never see her on TV
But she is an igniter of fires
Who taught me
To burn despair and desire
On a pyre
Of my own design
And as mortar and bricks
Of the walls that I had built
Cemeted with ego and prejudice
Tumbled
I wondered
What would emerge from the rubble
A glimmer of hope
That something could grow anew
Fused on a steady foundation
Of dedication – and practice
And with pillars of support
Anchoring me
Keeping this boat afloat
Through high-tides
And low-tides
And white-water-rafting-riptides
As a wise one once said
We did not just survive
We thrived
So forget your fancy titles
There is no one I would rather be
Than an igniter of fires
A torchbearer, like Smriti
Kay O' Neill 