The Writer's Platform

  An anecdote on why cats are never going to be allowed in my household Everyone has pets. Everybody loves the warm embrace of their animals. Even before the advent of the pandemic, the idea of having a little animal pal has endeared millions of people around the world. Cats, dogs, fishes, birds, snakes…lizards? Rats?? Lion cubs? What next…Komodo Dragons?!I am joking, of course. Some people love embracing animals out of love towards nature and some relish the idea of having a furry companion for emotional support. It is a form of peace, entertainment and support in the form of a faithful animal. My family had kept chicks and fishes. But the idea of having a cat as a pet was always shot down by both of my parents. It wasn’t the issue of hair fall or the care, rather, yours truly has a severe allergy to both fur and feather. My cousins had even kept rabbits through red and watery eyes but my family…not a chance. I like animals. But with no opportunity to physically connect with...

    Kids don’t learn the intricacies of society by memorizing the do’s and don’ts. They can’t flawlessly breeze through conversations between judgemental people and not feel a sense inferiority. I never knew what it meant to live in a place where you can be judged by everything you did. The Yeira Uhuru of six years ago never knew how real-life judgemental people are. She never knew that. I am Yeira and I never knew that. Even though I was told so many times by my parents. I had known the rules theoretically but…to implement these on a real-life basis? Even though my name means ‘success’ and ‘freedom’, I was a ‘failure’ and a ‘prisoner’. Can these six years really change anything? I looked at myself in the mirror contemplating the looks of the girl who once had never known the pains of trying to fit in. The girl in the mirror looked more or less the same but there were some changes. Her long black hair fell from her head in waves, rippling down halfway through her back. T...