He told my Ma I was
too young to know what

a tumor felt like.

Dad took us to the doc for any
complaint. Also headaches. After
rolling out the pinball feeling
to him, Dr. Marquez said,
“Raise your arms.” After

seeing growing hairs, he
looked at my father and said
“Your daughter is going through

Puberty.
She will soon have
Breasts.”

Dad walked out.
For the first time the doc didn’t
give me a lollipop
on my

way out and
my dad didn’t
hold my hand as we waded

through the traffic.

# # #

Vasvi Kejriwal is currently a student pursuing a career in law. She aspires to be something the likes of a ‘poet-lawyer’ as she does not believe the two are mutually exclusive. Born and brought up in Kolkata (India), she has sought refuge in words for almost as long as she can remember. Vasvi has previously received a commendation for her writing by the Radiant Peace Foundation International. She has also been recently published in The Alipore Post. Her poem ‘Driving Lesson in Bandra West’ won the national Wingword Poetry Prize 2019.

Photo: Molly Belle