When I discovered the place where I was born did not accept me, I found freedom in the unknown world.

At the bottom of an empty well, hanging on a rope facing two frightened and aggressive wild dogs, I found something unexpected: patience.

At the loss of a great and gentle friend, I found forgiveness for the sorrow that was passed on to me.

Have you ever woken up afraid, but rose to seize the day?

Have you ever felt pure joy for more than a few minutes?

Have you ever dared to fight when you knew you weren't ready for it?

Have you learnt to feel the wins and the failures, and welcome them as one and the same?

Have you ever felt a deeper awareness of the self, beyond your immediate reality?

Have you ever felt eager for the future, fond of the past, and found them to weigh the same?

These poems are reflections of these questions, through the lens of an individual, Kalinga.

Since there is more that unites us than divides us, these are all of our stories, painted in rhyme and sketch to communicate a sense of inevitable common ground.

The world is changing, but it always is. Remember that your journey is yours, and you can carve it as you see fit.