Chapter 5

 Chapter: Shelter in Pages

Anecdote

In her late twenties, Arundhati Sen began to drift inward. The early years of her marriage, once painted with warm conversations and shared laughter, had grown quiet. Disappointment hung in the silence between her and those she once counted on for warmth and understanding.

She turned to books—not just for escape, but to decipher the people around her. To understand why those she loved seemed to drift further away, and why her own voice was beginning to feel foreign in her own home. Through pages and poetry, she sought a language that would not shout or plead, but one that might reach—gently, deeply.

Books became her quiet confidants. Not to argue with the world, but to make peace with it. In them, she found acceptance—not of everything around her, but of her own aching heart.

And so, she wrote…

---

Poem: Shelter in Pages

I took the shelter of you

To influence my loved ones who seemed to lose track of life...

To coax my own people who won’t listen,

But walk on the edge of a knife...

I thought you’d prepare me—

To find the words that could flip their take...

My eyes were dreaming

While my anxiety lay wide awake.

And now, as I come this far...

You've somehow convinced me to give up on this war.

I’ve learned to broaden the line of acceptance,

Instead of shrinking my world in silence.

My words aren’t too powerful—

Just feelings, quietly unfurled...

Books leave no room for rage—

Whether or not your people are on the same page.

—Amita Joshi

---

Tara's Reflection

She thought books could help her fix us...

As I read this, I think—she never wanted to win. She just wanted to be heard.

Maybe that’s why she stopped trying... not out of defeat, but out of quiet wisdom. She expanded her own space instead of waiting for others to do the same.

I always thought she gave up on us. But maybe she just found something gentler to hold on to.

Maybe she didn't lose the battle—maybe she just walked away from a war not worth her peace

.

And in doing so, she became freer than any of us.