Voice of the Void
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“I am Busy”- Anthem
I Am Busy.
With a smug calendar proudly on display.
It’s the line we hear most often
in boardrooms, Zooms, and coffee breaks,
the anthem of professionalism.
The busier you are, the more valuable you feel.
The more valuable people make you feel.
A packed calendar is a medal,
a dopamine hit disguised as respect.
No time for small talk,
No time for feelings,
No time for yourself,
Only time to check how busy someone is.
Eight hours at work.
Twelve hours preparing for work.
Time left over? Reflect on how busy you were.
Time after that? Wonder how busy you will be tomorrow.
The holy grail: “I have no time.”
The Blessed line of the elite,
Worth more than gold,
Shared on LinkedIn and Calendly.
All of them busy, busy, busy
All of them rushing, hustling,
Yet somehow standing still
Hiding their emptiness.
The more packed the schedule,
The more worthwhile one feels.
But this feeling of worth, is it real?
Or just a facade we build?
We fill hours to avoid facing ourselves,
To evade raw, trembling desire
Unprepared to confront the gaze, the longing,
Penetrating our well-built armour.
The busiest species on Earth,
Drown in calendars, to
Avoid existential angst.
By singing the anthem —- I am Busy.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
At times, I am a vast ocean;
At times, an empty cave.
The desire to be heard remains.
The longing to be acknowledged persists.
Who am I? Where am I?
Am I within? Am I even there?
Arin Rei’s writing is a witness to the unseen dimensions of her being. Over the years, her journals grew into verses that shaped her first collection of free verse about the urban dystopia we inhabit.
Within poems that ring with a quiet authenticity, Rei lyrically leads all souls who feel discontented or lonely on a journey inward to pause, contemplate, and explore what lies beneath the surface of the ordinary. While delving into the depths of the human psyche and relationships, her poems reflect on a mother’s selflessness, what it means to be an independent woman, superficial social behavior, and much more.
Voice of the Void is a volume of free verse that explores a poet’s journey to her inner core as she lyrically explores duality, love, compassion, and the nature of existence.
About the Author
Arin Rei is the preferred nom de plume of the author. Born and raised in a remote village of Odisha, India, she eventually navigated to Newcastle University in the UK where she pursued a master’s degree in biomedical science and began working in civil construction. She is currently pursuing an executive MBA from the Indian School of Business.