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