Tender Things came together in the cosy space of three days spent in the lap of the Himalayas by a small group of women, complete strangers at that, brought together by a single thread: poetry. They arrived to be a part of one of Ayaskala’s retreats. In this span, we talked about poetry, we read poetry, we wrote poetry, but more importantly – we witnessed poetry – in our surroundings, in our interactions with each other, in our experiences in life, and in ourselves. This issue consists of poems centred around elements of nature, and the stories of these elements, worded by the women who engaged with them. I could use many words to describe to you what the curation of this issue brought about inside me, but I think that would be a disservice to you and these poems. Take your time with them, let them linger. They hold the selves of these poets, who are courageously and tenderly offering them to you.