unity & me
this poem won my high school's annual poetry jam twice...i like to think of it as the story of my parents before and after me
two people of the same attire
of the same brain
of a different belief
setting them apart by statues and scriptures
by hair on the face and hair on the head
why can't we both just be deemed as equal instead?
but no, it's not that easy, for making a braid requires more than just
threads on the head
it's the strands that make a braid look tacky, smooth, or perfect
when people ask how I would describe myself,
i'd simply reply
i'm a girl who has not one, but two religions in her blood
call me Hindu
call me Muslim
they both are true
for love dominated my parents and brought me to you
at this point I was a plain head of hair
no split ends and no despair
as time went on I learned that what stayed at rest didn't Rest In Peace
the love decreased and differences came in between
still a plain head of hair, I look to my mother and despise
why did you give me the eyes to see such rivalry
such planned obsolescence?
such expected doom?
she pulls one strand from her left and sets it to the right
we often forget that our parents had a life before us
a disparate interpretation of the world we as kids sought to find the
good of. she too, tried.
sitting in the dark alley took her back to being under the blindfold in
hide and seek at the temple.
she pulls one strand from her right and sets it to the left
picture a man who didn't know his real name or fate
but knew he had his faith...
he held it tight in his bruised palm and swore to his departed mother
that the legacy would live on...
she pulls the final strand from behind and sets it to the left.
he lived with meaning while she lived with good times
and when he was content she accepted the challenge.
as she braids, the split ends shoot outwards
like the arguments that once shot out of her mouth.
my Muslim father recites a verse of the Quran
(wakalakanakum azwaja)
"and we created you in pairs"
i ask him, "papa why does a braid need three strands then?"
he replies, "because beta, child, love is the one thing that brings faith and conflict
together in harmony."
Conflict, Love, Unity
Mom, Dad, and Me.
the braid indeed represents us three.
Reflection
"unity & me" is perhaps my most personal poem, exploring the complex reality of being born from an interfaith marriage between a Hindu mother and Muslim father. The extended metaphor of braiding hair becomes a powerful way to understand how three distinct elements—conflict, love, and unity—can be woven together to create something beautiful and strong.
The poem begins with the fundamental question of religious identity: "why can't we both just be deemed as equal instead?" But it quickly moves beyond simple equality to explore the more complex reality of how differences can actually strengthen a relationship when woven together thoughtfully, like strands in a braid.
The middle section delves into my parents' individual histories—my mother's playful memories at the temple, my father's deep faith held "in his bruised palm." These personal details show how their different approaches to spirituality and life ("he lived with meaning while she lived with good times") created both tension and richness in their relationship.
The poem's resolution comes through my father's wisdom: love is what brings "faith and conflict together in harmony." The final image of the three-strand braid representing "Conflict, Love, Unity / Mom, Dad, and Me" suggests that I am not just the product of their union, but the living embodiment of how seemingly opposing forces can create something stronger together than apart.