Alien

Do my ancestors think planes are spaceships?

Their descendants were taken a world away,

and the babies they bore were diluted

– brown skin turned pale from the lack of UV exposure.

How could my parents bring the Indian Sun in a check-in bag?

How do I tell my grandparents “I love you” in their first language?

I don’t know.

My tongue fumbled on the words each time my Nani reminded me.

All I do know is that fell into orbit.

I get closer and closer,

only to find myself far away once again.

about the poet

Malika Arora is a 22-year-old, queer, south-Asian writer and artistic photographer based in Burnaby, BC. Having started writing at the age of 14, Arora has been developing her artistic voice for nearly a decade. She often focus on identities - how they coexist alongside, transition into, and collide with one another - and tries to find space for beauty amongst it all. Arora specializes in writing poetry, but has been expanding her repertoire into short story writing and visual storytelling mediums. You can see more of her growing collection of work on portfolio Instagram - @malikamakesart.