Our corona diary.

[Text and photo by Shirali Raina]

I close my eyes in my self-isolation from corona… and I see nothing. I am perturbed. No, wait! the nothingness beneath my lids has started to dissolve into randomly floating black specks. It is becoming lighter now. For some strange reason, I think of Dal Lake back home. I see the floating lotus leaves. But not a single lotus. Surprisingly, the water looks slimy. Now I see the gurgling sweet water of Chasmashahi. I am splashing around with my friends. We are clicking pictures. Ah, it is there, the photo from the eighties that I posted on Facebook… of my friends posing by the Jhelum. The faded water looks serene. I have to open my eyes. It is the delivery boy at the door. “Didi how much water do you need today?” he asks, pointing towards the huge bottled water dispensers.

“We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close my eyes in my self-isolation from Corona… and I see…” Not more than 100 words. With a horizontal-sized selfie, along with your city name… please mail to me at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.