Anamika

There is still a glare of light in the midnight star-filled sky. The river silently flows with murmuring muse alongside the hillock. The ‘Orphanage Home’ stands alone amongst the silent trees.

Children undergo morning Yoga under the open ground. The trainer recounts the number from the register. A new entrant has been added to the list barely a half day ago. I stand silently at the corner staring at the face of the tiny girl. Her eyes sparkle as if narrating something. She is asked her name for which there is no answer. Unaware of any self-identity, she might have moved from street to street, grown-up under the abandoned roof and open sky.

Fondly the teacher approaches her and calls her ‘Anamika’. She feels suddenly as if something new in her possession as others cheer her.

seldom I know

how to name it

I follow afar

the forest songbird

the muse leaves behind

Note: The name Anamika (female) comes from the Sanskrit word which means, "nameless." 

Contemporary Haibun Online, 17.1 April 2021 (Ed. Tish Davis)