Artist Statement
This poem reflects my evolving understanding of community—not as a fixed place, but as something shaped by loss, memory, and rebuilding. It draws from my experience of displacement and the quiet search for belonging in unfamiliar spaces.
Through simple, fragmented imagery, I wanted to capture the feeling of being untethered, and the slow, intentional process of finding connection again. The poem moves between past and present, holding both absence and presence at once.
Ultimately, it is about realizing that community is not something we return to, but something we carry and create, wherever we are.
Recommended Citation
TALUKDER, PRANITA
(2026)
"Rooted In Resilience,"
be Still: Vol. 11, Article 20.
Available at:
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/bestill/vol11/iss1/20
Included in
Creative Writing Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Photography Commons
About the Artist
Pranita Talukder is a first-year medical student at KPCOM, currently based in Tampa. She completed her undergraduate studies at CUNY Hunter College in New York City. Born in Bangladesh, raised in NYC, and now training in medicine in Florida, her journey across places and cultures has deeply shaped her sense of identity and perspective.
Her writing draws from lived experience, where she has witnessed the quiet power of presence, listening, and care—both within her community and in clinical spaces. She is especially drawn to the in-between moments, where loss meets rebuilding and where stories often remain unheard.
Through her work, she aims to create space for reflection, inviting others to recognize themselves in shared experiences of vulnerability, resilience, and strength.