Postcards to women far and wide

By Anjali Pathak

To my mum,

To sum up our relationship in this small space would to be doing the force which is my mother and her love a disservice.

She is often described as “the soldier” in our house, and she herself is proud of her ‘strong’ nature. I know of her love to be strong, immensely forthcoming, not only to myself but everyone she meets.

However, the beauty of her love resides within its ability to be taken with me every where I have gone. It is an unbounding force through which I have been able to navigate my life through and be comforted by.

Since leaving home I have never felt its wavering, nor have I ever lost faith in it, rather, I have become a lot surer of myself, which I owe to her. Her love and the confidence she has given me is a selflessness, to always be there for me, in my corner, enabling me to do things I never would have, travel places and put myself in situations to which I know there will always be somewhere to go to, to call home for.

A postcard to the woman who has given me life, day in and day out, and has allowed me to go through life not alone, but with her forever in my corner. I thank her for her endless love, and I am glad not to be sending this postcard as a salutation, but as a reminder of the way in which I am forever within her embrace.   

I thank her for her endless love, and I am glad not to be sending this postcard as a salutation, but as a reminder of the way in which I am forever within her embrace

To Emma,

We’ve now been “long-distance” from September to March. Before this year we were used to being in the same city, a mere 15 minutes apart. With so much free time the jump to being separated has felt empty. Distance can’t contain our natural state — the conversations on walks, the times we’re silent with each other, the watching TV and being fully relaxed. Our true selves with each other. Distance halts that or has hindered that state. But, over time, we’ve reluctantly had to get used to this. This is why my next postcard goes out to someone who I am glad to be writing one of my last to.

My time at university, in my final year, has felt strange not to accomplish with her by my side. However, at every turn, I have known she was beside me. Beside me to call, whenever I was feeling stressed about summative deadlines, about the impending after grad panic, or just generally down. She was never too busy to pick up my calls, answer my texts, postcards in themselves. I thank her for her endless love and support, and I am glad to call the long-distance period of our lives, over.  

To my friends,

To my friends, who have loved and supported me, who have offered me an endless escape from the monotony that is university life. Growing up with people and then leaving such comfort for university, you would think that distance or growing apart would become a symptom. Luckily, it hasn’t. To those who have never let our distance come in the way of our friendship, who have nurtured our bonds, however far and wide they may be, the women I am lucky to surround myself by, be inspired by, laugh with.  May we continue to grow together.

Lastly, to those who inspire me, day in and day out, my first teachers, those who have kept me going, the women I watch on the TV, the voices I consume, my favourite authors, Zadie Smith and Arundhati Roy, to name a few, the songs I listen to, the gods I pray to. Women everywhere, who keep me going, who keep us going.

Illustration: Anna Peats