"I will not fall away, I say. Not even when knocked by the roar of the wind. All this breathing is just the earth calling me back to the earth. My feet are on the ground. Where else can I be but here? All I have to do is stand still, and gape at the leather laces of my white shoe. That will not unknot, no matter how often I stumble on the road. Over a stone, a stick. The fallen bark of a dead tree.
I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft."
I felt this so deeply, this is exactly how it feels when you stand with your grief, how I feel when I think about how much I miss my mother. Love and pain are inseparable.
Your workshop sounds wonderful, I'm sorry I missed that. And what a gorgeous way you share what you have enjoyed on Substack!
"I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft."
Yes, this is how it feels.
I remember when my nana was found on the floor. I was 26 and all she wanted was to be a great grandmother. I was newly married. The love you have through your grief shines in the beauty of your writing Trivana. I adore the idea of exploring grief through food and how we are very much connected to memory through the act of cooking or baking old family recipes to stay close. Also, thank you for the wonderful list of reads ✨ Sending you much love. ox
Oh Deborah. I am always so moved by your words. Your nana must be so proud of you - of the beautiful writer & person you are. I’m sending you all my love. Thank you also for your very kind words. Food and grief are truly entwined. Food can be such a powerful way of remembering our loved ones, our ancestors— and carrying them into our day. I’m so glad that resonated with you. ❤️🌸
She was the sweetest little thing (4’11”) and I’m so glad my then boyfriend turned husband got to know her. She lived through WW1 and 2 and was fearless. I tell the story of her special Christmas Cake (that shocked my husband when he first saw her process!) Your story and the grief resonated greatly in my heart. Thank you again for your kindness. Much love coming back to you Trivarna. oxox
She sounds so sweet, so inspiring. What a blessing to have had her in your life. And I hope you write about her Christmas cake too - sounds wonderful. Thanks likewise for your kindness, and the care you offer these words. 🌸
She was. I was blessed she followed us to America. Loved her so much. Funny, but I thought I wrote about her cake and now you will have me hunting! ha ha! I think it’s maybe inside of a story about the war. Thank you for your kindness and support too. oxox
She was. I was blessed she followed us to America. Loved her so much. Funny, but I thought I wrote about her cake and now you will have me hunting! ha ha! I think it’s maybe inside of a story about the war. Thank you for your kindness and support too. oxox
What a beautiful piece Trivarna, and what a gorgeous offer to bring together food and grief. Thank you for including my piece in your reads, so glad you enjoyed it
Thank you, Anna. I’m so grateful for the care you’ve offered these words. I loved reading your piece. It was a pleasure to feature it. And so glad to know that the Food and Grief workshop spoke to you. It would be a delight to have you in it, and spend time with your writing. Let me know if you want to join us. You can find more details on it here: https://www.trivarnahariharan.com/workshops
Thanks once again for your beautiful writing. So glad to discover your work on Substack.
That’s so kind of you to say. Thank you, Sanskriti. And I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Instagram page. A very warm welcome to my Substack space too! I’m thrilled to have you here. It was a delight to include your piece, thanks for your beautiful words. ❤️🌼
What a GREAT and creative way to embody poetry—through food! I’m now captivated by where you will take this—and thank you for the shout out. I love how you provided snippets and links to other writers’ posts. That, too, is very generous. I haven’t seen anyone else do that to the degree you just did. You’ve inspired me to start doing the same. Thank you!
Thank you, Kert. That’s an incredibly kind note. I’m so grateful for the care you’ve offered these words. And it was a delight sharing your words - you are a brilliant writer. It’s always a pleasure discovering beautiful words on Substack.
And thanks also for your kind words on the Food and Grief workshop. It would be wonderful to have you in it, and spend time with your writing. Would you like to join us? You can find more details on it here: https://www.trivarnahariharan.com/workshops
I noted that workshop—again, one of the more creative and interesting that I’ve seen: exploring the relationships between writing and food and how both are integral to the nurturing of one’s soul. I’ve bookmarked it—and hoping you will offer it in the future as well. The next two months for me unfortunately won’t allow me to engage, at least live, in most of the offered sessions. But, it is SO intriguing as I’ve become a vegan foodie over the past 5 years and enjoy cooking and baking as spiritual practices all their own. I’m glad you are in the world exploring these ideas and offering your own learning for the greater good of our human potential. Living here, right now, in the U.S., we desperately need something deep and spiritual to see us through.
That’s wonderful, Kert. I’m so happy the workshop resonates with you. I’m glad to say that I’m offering it again late September. I’d love to see you then! It would be so enriching to learn about your experiences as a vegan foodie. I love the idea of baking as a spiritual practice, wow! It would be a delight to have you in our September-October sessions, and read your writing. 🌸
Your writing about the maple trees and grief is beautiful! Thank you so much for featuring my essay, Capturing the Essence of Life’s Moments! I am happy to read that you enjoyed it, and it’s nice to see a quote from it that resonated with you.
"I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft." Such a beautiful piece, Trivarna, so eloquently expressed!
And thank you so much for including my essay here 💕
Thank you for your kind note, Sydney. This means a lot to me coming from a wonderful writer like yourself. I love reading your words: they’re so tender and beautiful. Thank you for them, it was a pleasure to include your work here. 🌸❤️
"I will not fall away, I say. Not even when knocked by the roar of the wind. All this breathing is just the earth calling me back to the earth. My feet are on the ground. Where else can I be but here? All I have to do is stand still, and gape at the leather laces of my white shoe. That will not unknot, no matter how often I stumble on the road. Over a stone, a stick. The fallen bark of a dead tree.
I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft."
I felt this so deeply, this is exactly how it feels when you stand with your grief, how I feel when I think about how much I miss my mother. Love and pain are inseparable.
Your workshop sounds wonderful, I'm sorry I missed that. And what a gorgeous way you share what you have enjoyed on Substack!
Thank you for your incredibly thoughtful words, Esther. I’m sending you all my love.
“Love and pain are inseparable” - yes indeed, thanks for saying this. So true.
And my workshop is still accepting registrations! It would be a delight to see you there, and spend time with your writing. I’ll DM you more details.
"I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft."
Yes, this is how it feels.
I remember when my nana was found on the floor. I was 26 and all she wanted was to be a great grandmother. I was newly married. The love you have through your grief shines in the beauty of your writing Trivana. I adore the idea of exploring grief through food and how we are very much connected to memory through the act of cooking or baking old family recipes to stay close. Also, thank you for the wonderful list of reads ✨ Sending you much love. ox
Oh Deborah. I am always so moved by your words. Your nana must be so proud of you - of the beautiful writer & person you are. I’m sending you all my love. Thank you also for your very kind words. Food and grief are truly entwined. Food can be such a powerful way of remembering our loved ones, our ancestors— and carrying them into our day. I’m so glad that resonated with you. ❤️🌸
She was the sweetest little thing (4’11”) and I’m so glad my then boyfriend turned husband got to know her. She lived through WW1 and 2 and was fearless. I tell the story of her special Christmas Cake (that shocked my husband when he first saw her process!) Your story and the grief resonated greatly in my heart. Thank you again for your kindness. Much love coming back to you Trivarna. oxox
She sounds so sweet, so inspiring. What a blessing to have had her in your life. And I hope you write about her Christmas cake too - sounds wonderful. Thanks likewise for your kindness, and the care you offer these words. 🌸
She was. I was blessed she followed us to America. Loved her so much. Funny, but I thought I wrote about her cake and now you will have me hunting! ha ha! I think it’s maybe inside of a story about the war. Thank you for your kindness and support too. oxox
She was. I was blessed she followed us to America. Loved her so much. Funny, but I thought I wrote about her cake and now you will have me hunting! ha ha! I think it’s maybe inside of a story about the war. Thank you for your kindness and support too. oxox
thank you for including me in this beautiful piece :')
Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to feature your beautiful words. 🌸
Dear Trivana ✨ thank you so much for the mention!
I’m looking forward to now diving into your beautiful work 🤍
Thank you so much, Chantelle. So grateful for your care. A delight to feature your wonderful work here. ❤️🌸
Beautifully poetic piece, Trivarna! And thank you so much for the shoutout <3
Thank you so much, Brina. It was a pleasure to share your beautiful words. ❤️
What a beautiful piece Trivarna, and what a gorgeous offer to bring together food and grief. Thank you for including my piece in your reads, so glad you enjoyed it
Thank you, Anna. I’m so grateful for the care you’ve offered these words. I loved reading your piece. It was a pleasure to feature it. And so glad to know that the Food and Grief workshop spoke to you. It would be a delight to have you in it, and spend time with your writing. Let me know if you want to join us. You can find more details on it here: https://www.trivarnahariharan.com/workshops
Thanks once again for your beautiful writing. So glad to discover your work on Substack.
Thank you so much Trivarna for your mention of my Substack blog. And I like what you are doing.
Thank you, Roselle. It was a pleasure to feature your words. 🌸
Such tender, gorgeous words on grief, Trivarna 💛Huge fan of your account on Instagram as well and now overjoyed to follow your Substack journey too :)
Also, thank you for the mention and for reading my poem ‘The Lunchbox’ ✨
That’s so kind of you to say. Thank you, Sanskriti. And I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Instagram page. A very warm welcome to my Substack space too! I’m thrilled to have you here. It was a delight to include your piece, thanks for your beautiful words. ❤️🌼
Thank you for this kind, warm interaction, Trivarna 💛 Enjoying your beautiful little corner of the internet 🌼
So glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for your care and attention, Sanskriti. ❤️🌸
What a GREAT and creative way to embody poetry—through food! I’m now captivated by where you will take this—and thank you for the shout out. I love how you provided snippets and links to other writers’ posts. That, too, is very generous. I haven’t seen anyone else do that to the degree you just did. You’ve inspired me to start doing the same. Thank you!
Thank you, Kert. That’s an incredibly kind note. I’m so grateful for the care you’ve offered these words. And it was a delight sharing your words - you are a brilliant writer. It’s always a pleasure discovering beautiful words on Substack.
And thanks also for your kind words on the Food and Grief workshop. It would be wonderful to have you in it, and spend time with your writing. Would you like to join us? You can find more details on it here: https://www.trivarnahariharan.com/workshops
I noted that workshop—again, one of the more creative and interesting that I’ve seen: exploring the relationships between writing and food and how both are integral to the nurturing of one’s soul. I’ve bookmarked it—and hoping you will offer it in the future as well. The next two months for me unfortunately won’t allow me to engage, at least live, in most of the offered sessions. But, it is SO intriguing as I’ve become a vegan foodie over the past 5 years and enjoy cooking and baking as spiritual practices all their own. I’m glad you are in the world exploring these ideas and offering your own learning for the greater good of our human potential. Living here, right now, in the U.S., we desperately need something deep and spiritual to see us through.
That’s wonderful, Kert. I’m so happy the workshop resonates with you. I’m glad to say that I’m offering it again late September. I’d love to see you then! It would be so enriching to learn about your experiences as a vegan foodie. I love the idea of baking as a spiritual practice, wow! It would be a delight to have you in our September-October sessions, and read your writing. 🌸
Your writing about the maple trees and grief is beautiful! Thank you so much for featuring my essay, Capturing the Essence of Life’s Moments! I am happy to read that you enjoyed it, and it’s nice to see a quote from it that resonated with you.
Thank you, Sidney. So moved to know you feel that. And it was a delight to share your beautiful writing here. 🌸
"I hold a stone in one hand and a maple in another. How it feels to be light and heavy at once. Now I have become grief itself. Graying at the edges. An untethered heft." Such a beautiful piece, Trivarna, so eloquently expressed!
And thank you so much for including my essay here 💕
Thank you for your kind note, Sydney. This means a lot to me coming from a wonderful writer like yourself. I love reading your words: they’re so tender and beautiful. Thank you for them, it was a pleasure to include your work here. 🌸❤️
Thank you, Trimaran, you are so sweet!
Thank you for the mention, Trivarna! ❤️ what a lovely way to discover your world and your writing!
Thank you, Uthara. So glad you feel that way. A pleasure to feature your lovely words here too. And a very warm welcome to my Substack space! 🌸❤️
Beautiful piece Trivarna! Thank you for the mention in your weekly reads 💜🌿
Thank you so much, Tania. And it was a pleasure to feature your wonderful words. Thank you for them. 🌸❤️
Thank you for mentioning my poem so pleased you liked it and thrilled you quoted it ! First time one of my poems has been quoted 🙌🏻
Thank you, really enjoyed reading your words. It was a pleasure to feature them. 🌸
Thanks for sharing a link to The Butterfly Effect, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you, my pleasure! 🌸
What an interesting thought! This is the first time I have heard or read someone putting it that way, making that connection which is quite poetic.
Thanks so much, Luis. I’m so glad to know you enjoyed the piece, and that you experienced it thus. 🌸