The Greatest Treasure

Lavanya Gupta

Laughing with my sister,

Till tears roll down my cheeks;

Cooking sinful treats

With my mother;

Challenging my father,

To see who could do

A plank for the longest time.

It is said

That in moments of adversity,

You discover your greatest strength.

During this lockdown

As we all shut our doors,

I opened up my heart,

As we shunned being outside

I chose to peep inside,

Inside the four walls of my home,

Towards the ever-loving

Yet annoying younger sister,

Gaze at the amazing and supportive mother,

Admire my dear goofy father.

Covid – 19 has distanced us all

But it bonded us four together,

Making me realize; recognize,

The value of togetherness

Of love, of care,

The worth of unconditional support

Of a warm embrace,

The value of my family,

My most invaluable treasure,

My anchor, unfortunately from which

In the hustle-bustle of life,

I had drifted away.

But during this forced quarantine,

The unbreakable bonds,

Between my family and I

Have strengthened more than ever,

My sister, my mother, my father,

They have seen my weaknesses,

And helped me discover my strengths.

Together we have played, exercised,

Cooked and cleaned,

Endless movies we have seen,

And in the process,

Created memories that I will cherish forever.

Wherever I might be,

Thanks to my family,

I will never be alone.

They might be crazy and embarrassing,

But these are my people,

My tribe,

The ones who will always have my back,

My dear family.

As we distanced ourselves socially,

Four of us have built bridges between our hearts,

So Covid -19,

Although I wish you had never appeared,

I thank you,

I am grateful to you,

For showing me the value

Of my invaluable family.