Commended: Anaiya Bhanji, Do You Know?

Anaiya Bhanji

Commended, 2026 Tower Poetry Competition, 'A Riddle'

Do You Know?

Her eyes are colouring books –
Glancing up at you with triumphant trust are
The school pages she brought home.
You stick them up on the kitchen fridge;
“Beautiful, darling!”

She beams a rainbow and you look at the drawings sideways
Whilst her eyes – really, your eyes –
Search for your own: your double, everyone says,
As much as you can consider
The mirror to be yourself.

“We learnt something new at school today
– you have to guess”,
And already she is off.

Her mind is her new bicycle –
Skidding between ideas and
Outgrowing her old three-wheeler,
Which you chose that sunny May Day
For the fifth year she was yours.

You took her to the store,
Let her pick one,
With confidence she would pick the one
You had already bought:
Barbie pink, iridescent tangles of tassels
Which reminded you of those unicorn-hair clips
She was obsessed with.

You asked her:
“Do you know what this is called?”
She answered, five years of confidence
Sounding out the word:
“A try – sy – cal” – you taught her to ride.

Her legs pumped on the pedals,
Always trying to catch up with you,
Walking beside her;
It could only go so fast.

Now, she turns to you, mischief
Mingling at the corners of her mouth,
Roles reversed:
“Do you know?”

You don’t. Did you ever?
What is in front of you but can’t be seen?
Her - a bowl of cornflakes
Disintegrating into milk,
Because yesterday’s favourite cereal
Is today’s Public Enemy Number One.