Relation-less

I do not believe in blood ties

For I’ve never felt it thick

And when I say blood ties,

Let me, with your consent,

Exclude the seed and the womb;

The life in my soul and my blood

And also, my sibling sapling.

I do not believe in the bond of blood

Rather I believe in the bonds

Those which hearts choose to weave

Chide me if I'm wrong!

But hear me out before the judgement

I do not believe in blood ties

For I didn't grow up as a grandchild

A daughter I was, I am and I'll be

A sister, a soulmate, a friend,

A student, a teacher,

An acquaintance I've been,

But never a niece

I was never a cousin nor an aunt

Chide me if I'm wrong,

For felt no taste of blood in my heart

I grew up relation-less

I saw no guests on Sundays

The holidays were vacations

The twenty-eight years of my being

Failed to prove some adages right

They say "blood is thicker than water,"

But I prefer the water which sustains my blood

And that I found in different bloods;

I found family in different religions and places,

In the hearts that cherished mine

In the souls that enriched mine

And in those minds that thrilled mine.

To them all,

I write this with a brimming heart.