by Umang Dhingra
do not be too loud on the streets; do not play music;
this is how you hide if there is a bombing, this is how you hide if there is noise, this is how you hide if there is a knock on the door, this is how you hide if the shadows outside your room change shape;
this is how you cover yourself up
but i thought we did not have to do that anymore–
this is how you cover yourself up;
this is how you read books you stole from school, this is how you read books from your father’s shelves, this is how you read books when you are not supposed to;
this is how you cry for help;
do not wear bright colours;
do not look anyone in the eyes;
do not go outside until I tell you to;
this is how you beg for asylum you thought was guaranteed;
this is how you live with no electricity; this is how you live with no food;
this is how you live with no dignity;
this is how you live with constant fear 24/7 on 365;
this is how you pray and beg and hope that someone is coming to save you,
knowing
no one is coming to save you.
Umang Dhingra is a 17-year old writer from India. Her work can be found in numerous publications, scraps of paper around the house, and her family's WhatsApp group. She usually writes about being a brown girl from India, about her family, and what her mother calls, 'little explosions of sadness.’