Dear Givers

By Shreya Mandal

Dear Givers,
You, whose hands are lanterns,
whose days are stitched with tending—
I write to you as if to say:
even wells must fill again,
even candles must pause in the dark
to remember their wick.
Your gift is not diminished
when you rest.
The body that kneels to lift another
must also be lifted,
or else the knees give way,
the heart folds under its own weight.
Listen:
the silence you ignore
is an invitation,
the ache you dismiss
is a teacher.
What you offer others with tenderness
is also your inheritance.
Let receiving be your practice,
as holy as giving.
Drink deeply of still mornings,
let laughter return through your ribs,
trust that the world
will not unravel
because you closed your eyes
for an hour,
for a day.
You are not a vessel to be emptied—
you are a garden,
requiring water, sun,
a season of rest.
So I send this letter like a mirror:
may you see your own worth
and bow to it,
as faithfully as you bow
to the needs of others.
With reverence,
Your therapist


Shreya Mandal Biography
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Shreya Mandal, JD, LCSW, NBCFCH is a New York State–based poet and psychotherapist whose work explores trauma, memory, and resilience through both clinical practice and the written word. Her poetry and essays have appeared in Psychology Today, The Hemlock Journal, Livina Literary Press, Forensic Social Work: Psychosocial and Legal Issues Across Diverse Populations, 2nd Edition, with forthcoming publications in the Sun Magazine, Frontier Poetry, and  Mosaic: African Poetry & Prose, an anthology by Kinsman Avenue Publishing. Trained at Smith College School for Social Work and Rutgers Law School, and with additional study in global mental health and refugee trauma at Harvard Medical School, she integrates narrative, somatic, and cross-cultural approaches in her therapeutic work. Across both poetry and practice, Mandal is committed to amplifying silenced voices and exploring the intersections of identity, grief, and healing.