Losing a loved one is never easy to accept. It plunges us into the most harrowing depths of mental and emotional anguish, often accompanied by physical pain. Translating that raw grief into words is, in itself, a Herculean task—yet this is precisely what Saumya Bhatia achieves with remarkable grace in her debut book – a poetic collection One Day at a Time.
The collection (of both English and Hindi poems) does not shout; it whispers. Quiet, intimate, and profoundly moving, these poems speak straight to the heart. Written as a daughter’s tender tribute to her late father, the book navigates the fragile landscape of loss with extraordinary sensitivity and emotional clarity.
In her introduction, the author writes with quiet hope: “I sincerely hope these poems will bring solace to all those who have lost someone dear and give them the courage to sail through life carrying the cherished memories of their loved ones.”
One Day at a Time is a gentle companion for anyone walking the long road of grief—a reminder that healing arrives softly, one day, one memory, one breath at a time.
The poems emerge from personal grief yet resonate with universal emotion. Bhatia does not dwell on melodrama; instead, she chooses simplicity. Her verses unfold like diary entries — intimate, reflective, and honest — chronicling the slow journey from disbelief to acceptance. Each poem explores how memory holds presence even in absence: the echo of a father’s advice, the comfort of routine, the aching silence after a voice is gone.
There is no pretense here, no polished metaphors for the sake of artistry. Instead, you get the unfiltered truth of grief: the wardrobe that still smells like him, the accessories that sit exactly where he left them, the unbearable wish for “one more time.” The title poem, “One Day at a Time,” reads like a mantra whispered in the dark after another sleepless night, and you can almost feel the moment it shifted from desperate plea to lifeline.
Pieces like “Aakhiri Naman” and “One More Time” are devastating in their simplicity; they don’t dramatize pain, they inhabit it. “Maa,” written years earlier, reveals how long these unspoken words have been waiting for a page.
This is not poetry that shouts. It trembles. And in that trembling, it offers something rare: proof that putting overwhelming emotion into words (even decades later, even in fragments) can gently, stubbornly, move you forward.
What lends strength to the book is its restraint. Bhatia’s language is uncomplicated yet deeply affecting. She avoids excessive ornamentation, allowing emotion to surface naturally. The poems feel less crafted for literary performance and more written as acts of healing — gentle conversations between daughter and father across the boundary of loss.
The title One Day at a Time perfectly encapsulates the book’s emotional rhythm. Healing, the poet tells us, does not arrive all at once. It inches forward in tiny measures — through remembering, writing, breathing — one day at a time. Readers navigating their own grief will likely find solace in these pages; those outside that experience may gain a tender understanding of it.
The collection’s brevity becomes its strength. Each poem carries emotional weight, leaving lingering impressions despite the book’s modest length. This sparseness reflects the nature of loss itself — how words become fewer yet more precious when the heart is full.
Ultimately, One Day at a Time is not simply about mourning; it is about love enduring beyond physical presence. It is about paying tribute not through grand declarations, but through quiet remembrance and gratitude. Saumya Bhatia’s debut serves as both memorial and message — a reminder that even in grief, poetry becomes a bridge back to hope.
If you have ever lost someone and found their absence in the smallest, most ordinary things, this book will feel like someone finally said what you couldn’t. Read it slowly. Some lines will require you to close the book for a minute and breathe.
A tender, deeply personal gem that earns every tear it asks for.
A sincere and touching collection that stays with the reader long after the final page is turned.
