36 Comments

Oh, your words are so alive! I love this and I am wriggling my toes in recognition. The sound of your anklet, the image of feet closer to your head— I feel these! Thank you for the laughter and subtle nudge to “ close that circuit(!!!!)” and thank my toes.

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Thank you, Emily, what a privilege to be read by you, or shall I say, to be close-read by you... 💘✨

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Oh thank you—I feel the same about the opportunity to close-read you! And now my toes are better for it, along with the rest of me!! Wishing you all the best toe curling romance has to offer for your weekend. 🐦‍🔥💕

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🦚💜✨🐙🍉🍇🍻 all the best things for you too

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"But if I touched my feet at night, my circuit would be complete, I’d feel whole, and you see, I’m addicted to my brokenness." In love with this logic and how it is put into words. My goodness!

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Sumira Jaan, thank you. You have brought many smiles to my face this week, even before today. What a wonderful thing we are involved in, where we can support each other... Seeing 'Sumira's Substack' beside your name thrills me.. 💖

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such poetic writing, Raju! <3 "once in a purple moon, i paint my toenails too!"

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Thank you, Uthara.. 💜 poetry also lies in the eyes of the beholder

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Read this first, and then heard it in your voice. Uff uff Raju ❤️🤗 only lovee!

Slippers like erasers, and wet earth like chocolate icecream for the feet 🤩

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Thank you Doel, your appreciation is as real as you, it is poking at me to continue writing... 🦋💖

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Raju Raju Raju such a witch 🧹 you are ! Line after line , line after line .... relentless in its brilliance this is

But my favourite image is toes as siblings squished up against each other .

I heard this ...and I'm so so happy that your recorded it ...and also that you recorded it without diving in straight away but chatted for a minute ....aaaaaarghhhhhh violent Khushi this morning!

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Raju Tai, so many relatables! So many restakables! It's 37 degrees here. My phone says it feels like 47. Humidity is at 70pc. And yet, here I am smiling in this heat, listening to your melodious essay sitting on the parking kerb next to my resident stray chewing her dinner. Please please read out loud more often. I loved how you didn't just read the essay, but also did a little chit chat with us. Loved it!

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Thank you, Sanobar.... Lots of love, I will not forget this. Being read/listened to in heat is no small thing. I feel so grateful. And yay so excited to record more often.

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made me roll my feet clockwise and anticlockwise haha

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I did that too! 😂

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Awesome, Ankita and Sumira! I can hear them feet and ankles thanking us... 💚

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Beautiful writing, Raju!! ❤️

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Thank you Suruchi 💜💜

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I loved listening to your voice here Raju Tai. Like you, I love sounds that come from all sorts of mouths. It makes me feel closer to the stories. May I just say in filmi Rajkumar style, " Aapke paon dekhe, bohut haseen hain, inse zameen ko roz kissie dijiyega."

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kissie!! so cute

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Kissie kissie back

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thank you Reema, feeling fluttering sensations to imagine that my voice reached you! ♥️♥️

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I need my toes to curl while reading a romance novel too! After reading your essay, I will hide my home chappals, walk barefoot on all surfaces and get a foot message! Thank you for this reminder Raju.

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Thank you, Samira.... So excited that we share our love for romance novels 💘🌼 Send me a recommendation when you can?

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yes absolutely!

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Loved this one "Their only mistake is that they are the farthest from my most beloved organ, my brain" :) Such a beautiful way to articulate this. I hope you paint your toe nails more than once a purple moon

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Thank you for reading, Priya. I will paint them more often this time. 💜💜

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“If my feet were dangling off my neck, downwards, as if brain walking into heart, I'd take better care of them.”

Oof how do you do this magical thing?? I have never read anything like this! And it sounded so lovely when you read it out! Thanks Raju!!!!❤️❤️

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Thank you Supriya… i tingle each time you ask me how do you do this… i don’t know how i do it but you make me want to keep doing it 💘💘🍇

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Sexy writing Raju! And that foot cream will not complete the circuit. You will still be safely broken, you crazy woman. Loads of love :). And how do I add emojis here when I am using the laptop? I want to add hearts.

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🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵 there i added them for both of us! thank you for calling my writing sexy… sleeping with a toothy grin 😁

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Really enjoyed this post, the tone of it, the descriptions, including the amazing, fascinating artwork. You took me back to when I was a kid, walking barefoot across the gravely asphalt driveway to the cold grass in the morning, I remember it felt like my feet were eating endives.

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Ah!! Thank you for that image 🌿💚

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Complete your circuit, use the foot creams!

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(If you want)

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I willl… (I really do want) :)🫶🏼

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