Multitudes

By Sahana Prabu

Posted on June 3, 2026

Cover Image Title: Frost-Coated Fire

Cover Image by: Helen L.

Classification: Photography

Specifications: Resized from 1400 x 2160 pixels

Year: 2026

Location: Argentina

I tend to notice things no one else has time for. I liked to think it

made me unique. Envisioning multitudes and the infinitesimal freckles of strangers

on a random Saturday.

It was only two days ago that school was over. Mum smiles at me a lot now.

When she teases me to do all the chores, I watch her eyes twinkle, then dissolve into nothing but eyelashes.

These are the times I wish joy would just rush into me

like water breaking through a dam.

But my river stays stagnant.

Because the person I love wore a maroon sweater and pulled me into a final hug.

My hollow heart watched her suitcase trail behind her like seafoam drifting from shore

So I turned away.

This is how we learn to prioritize — by looking away.

Years later,

I am rushing to see this friend, wondering if she still has that maroon sweater.

I left Mum at the dining table to eat alone

But now,

Guilt churns in circles in my stomach,

and in my knees when I am leaping up for another hug from this friend

even when our distance felt as ineffable as the ocean’s.

Guilt reunites with the pins and needles in my palms

as I gingerly open the bedroom door.

And when I find Mum asleep,

I feel like a goat doeling

and an old woman who has not yet lived —

all at once.

Maybe this is another sign of my strange multitudes.

Description:

The content in this poem is definitely fiction, but the feelings and perspectives are entirely true. I often find that whenever I want to have my own way during certain circumstances, I always feel a smidge of guilt and other jumbled emotions. I also incorporated in this poem the drive that makes us chase after the people we love. This often makes us worry, become hurt, and eventually numb when they leave us. This realization that I carry these strange multitudes of youthfulness and aged regret all at once is probably the truest sign of my complex inner life. I wanted to make this poem seem relatable to all the people who have complex multiple perspectives.

[ Writing Editor: J.Y.  ]