My grandmother tells me off for bemoaning my life. Her memories of losing everything and beginning again continue to inspire me, writes poet Nikita Gill
“You are the granddaughter of a family that has known war and trouble like it is the back of our hands. Building hope where there is none it is part of our legacy.” My grandmother said these words, gently but firmly, on a recent phone call that I had spent lamenting the state of the world, and the pandemic, and feeling rather sorry for myself.
She was right, as she often is.
I’ve called my mother and my family more than ever before because I know that pain can bring a family closer
Related: ‘The wounds have never healed’: living through the terror of partition
Where Hope Comes From: Healing poetry for the heart, mind and soul by Nikita Gill is published by Trapeze (£14.99). To order a copy, go to guardianbookshop.com.
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