In the Shadow of the Banyan

by Vaddey Ratner

To mourn then, I thought, is to feel your own nothingness.

Knowing comes from learning, finding from seeking.

It was clear to me now that while books could be torn and burned, the stories they held needn’t be lost or forgotten.

The ground was animated with these infinitesimal beings, and I remembered what Papa always said whenever we went out for a similar walk—“If you pay close enough attention, Raami, you’ll realize that a single leaf can contain myriad lives imitating our own, and you’ll know that there are always others traveling this world with you.”