WHITE JASMINE

Another bud has bloomed,
With another hope.
Another hope has sprouted,
After another betrayal.
I’m not a rose,
Nor I pretend to be.
I’m just a white flower,
No great beauty, no great smell.
But do you know
What it means to be a jasmine?
It frees you from the burden
Of pretending to be a rose.
—Bhaskar Saikia