Epitaphs
by Mahi P.
How do tides become whirlpools?
And you go from being a naive little girl, to an adolescent fool.
Maybe my north star just collapsed into itself,
I wrecked my soul, never even asked for help.
Somehow I transformed into an onlooker of my own life,
I dug too long, too deep and now I'm a hollow with lost time.
Searching for fresh water in a poison of my creation,
And this consciousness has a vacant seat, reserved for my passion.
How did I scare the crowds into vacant echos?
Made a picket white fence, guarding the gallows.
I started breaking my own heart, turned selfish like that,
Got Blinded by the pain, lost sight of what I was aiming at.
I wore garbs of denial and blended into reality,
Now I blame the world, but embrace their vanity.
All I have left, is a friendship with pain and a forced laugh,
But on the eve of change, my words are tales, not epitaphs.
Wished for Winter
By Mahi P.
Have you ever wished for winter?
And prayed for the warmth that comes with the cold winds?
Have you ever cut yourself on a splinter?
And liked the bout of pain and how it gently stings.
Why do you make yourself cry in locked rooms?
Get through the days on cups of coffee and cans of coke.
We blew our chance at happiness and pretend we don't see the fumes.
Reach out, trying to grab onto a lifeboat while drowning in the smoke.
Slept through the day and blamed the night for your demise.
We're a generation of damaged kids, on our way to being broken adults.
You love your parents but won't admit that they're wise.
Reject their advice based on the principles of this egotistic cult.
At least I'm not one of a kind, we're all of the same breed.
How am I so sure? Look around, we share the same pain,
A will to change the world and maybe we'll succeed,
‘Cause we have revolutionary genes running through our veins.
Stars
By Disha S.
Twinkling and sparkling all night long,
They bring you hope when everything’s going wrong.
Like gems in the sky, above us all,
Shining to their fullest, before they fall.
Regardless of the darkness all around,
They spread light to endless bounds.
They don’t let the dark put them off,
But glowing brightly at it, they scoff.
If you ever need motivation, look upon them,
And then you’ll realize how life’s a gem.
If you’re ever surrounded by darkness and can’t find
light,
Just remember the stars on a No-moon night.
That’s when you’ll realize, the only person who can
help you is yourself,
Not some magically-appearing creature called elf!
They also teach us that life’s going to end someday,
So live it in the best possible way.
The Way to be Humane?
By Aryaa G.
Isn't it beautiful how we live?
We humans not so humane
the way we love,
the way we crave,
those longing eyes filled with desperation.
Oh those beautiful eyes but something about them is almost melancholic
Miseries behind them;
The way they pacify everything with just a flicker
The heart we carry—so frail
bloated with love,
so swollen that it may be cleaved any minute
all the agony burning outside
gets sucked in through the cleavage
and yet we somehow manage to line it with love again.
The screeches coming from the skin
Stabbing the skin to get through but
aren't as loud to be heard by others,
and yet we caress the bleeding skin by warmth.
Too much of bleeding is fatal, isn't it?
It is supposed to be that way
Too much of everything is supposed to be harmful
And yet we live, we love, we feel, laugh and cry
And crave for everything again
Isn't that that what we live for?
Isn't this all to become just a little bit more humane?
Under the Lilacs
By Riya
Under the lilacs,
We first met.
You were playing ball
And I was dressing my Barbie doll.
A thud I heard ‘round the river basin
And there you sat howling in pain
My dolly's dress came to the rescue
All I knew then was to help you.
On that midsummer morning
The little girl tied up his wound, then burning
While the little boy sat down patiently waiting
And young love t'was
Born beneath those vines.
Under the lilacs
We came then on
Finding comfort in each other’s company
All the while unwary
Of what was sprouting between him ‘n me
Under the lilacs
Was our shelter in the teens
When the world put us through extremes
Sharing our thoughts and dreams
We grew to be one or so it seems
Under the lilacs
We cried, we lost, we trusted
Our twenties just seemed so gutted
My job, my thoughts frustrated
But through it all I lasted
For by my side you landed
Today
the lilacs, brighter than ever, seem to expand
Yet I walk beneath them so glad
The aisle covered with that flower
Did give me more power.
Hand in hand we walk
The wedding vows we say
As we look into each others eyes
Him and I—a lovely life I fantasize
Remembering that summer day
We met so far away
Under the lilacs it'll stay.
A Raging Desire
By Abhinav S.
As you walk towards the light
You will seek what is right.
As you try to question
if that is oppression
They will try to put you down
When you enlighten the town.
The misery of your suffering
Will be a setback to the ruling.
The fire of knowledge within
Shall burn away the fallacy of the living.
This fire is raging and will rage
Till we remove the pretentious sage.
For the rest of my being
I promise with severity
To express and execute verity.
The sheep of the herder might lynch the minority
But the time-tested secularism will expose their brevity.
This desire of unity and harmony
Will not be overshadowed by their atrocity.
Kissed to Death
By Abhinav S.
Hair like a ferocious fire,
The Enchantress blew me to hell.
With her alluring voice,
The witch cast a spell.
The banshee pulled me close,
Whispered my darkest fear
And banished me into the inferno.
The Queen of venom,
Clutched my soul.
The Succubus's satin hands,
Pushed me to Satan.
He granted me a wish,
This Endymion demanded for his Cynthia.
I asked for freedom,
She kissed me to death.
Who Was I -- Fifth Grade
By AM
New school
New state
New people
New friends
Or “friends”
I came in the middle of the year
Once everyone already knew each other
I was a outcast
The new kid
Again
After a couple weeks I made a few friends
Or “friends”
Friends that made me cry
I hate crying
That fought all the time
I hate fighting
That treated me like a pet
I hated not being important
But I wasn’t important
In the group I was forgotten
I was the invisible one
The friend you bad mouth when you are bored
After while I started to hide with a book everyday
Reading about other people’s problems helped me forget about my own
But to them that made me a nerd
They threw names and words around like a beachball
And they didn’t care if it popped
I was always homesick
I always wrote about home during writing assignments
I told everyone we moved because of my dad’s job
I guess that’s a little true
But it wasn’t the real reason
We left to escape memories
My parents thought that we could run away from pain
From the ghosts of cancer
I guess they forgot that pain can follow you like a hawk
And memories and ghosts can make you a prisoner in you own head
I longed for home
But home wasn’t just a place
Not for me at least
Home has always been people
So when they leave I guess home disappears
Or goes to a better place I guess
I try not to think that it should have been me
I should have died
Not her
She could’ve changed the world
It’s not like I’m doing anything real important
And I try not to think that even the money put into the hospital bills wasn’t enough to save her
Does that make it a waste?
I cried myself to sleep every night
I talked to her
Just like I did when I was younger
Of course she didn’t answer
But sometimes silence is the best answer
Life stopped that year
Like someone hit the pause button and then destroyed the remote
I lost my friends
Because I wasn’t good enough for them
I got called more names
Nerd
Teachers Pet
Loser
Weirdo
I guess they were true
I tried to make them wrong
To be who I wasn’t
I lost myself
But then I couldn’t find me
So I started to talk
A lot
I thought if I put a wall of words around me
No one would be able to get past
I was right
I thought if I could be someone else no one would be able to see who I really was
I was right
Sometimes you don’t get to choose who you are
Sometimes you have to hide
Sometimes you are never found.
Collapse into the Madness
By Abhinav S.
Walking through the graveyard,
I sought the sun.
All I took was a leap of faith,
To reach the skies above.
Only to plummet
In the netherworld below.
Full of gore, war and lust
Gave me an unabashed euphoria.
Never did I know this side of me,
A profound sensation of the devil's offering
Made me question
What is wicked? Who is wicked?
Aren't we all heroes of our story?
We are all crazy, just in different ways.
Again I took a leap but without faith.
Not above but below
Into this heaven
Down I collapsed
Into the madness below.
IT
By Surendhar M.
The man on the throne,
Would keep it in a higher position than himself.
The man with the bow and arrow,
Would find it more powerful than himself.
The man on the chariot,
Would find it more difficult to control than the horse.
The man born with a silver spoon,
Would find it the most expensive thing ever.
The man who has built a roof over him,
Would like to save it more than his expenses.
And at last
The man who ploughs the field,
Would not have it,
As he threw it to everyone above.
Virus and Creature
By Sweekriti M.
The virus may have
ended up our life,
like the creatures crave
in bars to survive.
The way humans destroyed
the creation of God
this virus has reinstated
our mother world.
An ethical message
this pandemic gave us,
remember, whoever you are
the soul inside us
makes us all the same.
Hope
By Disha S.
A small word with deep meaning is hope,
The power that supports you through life's steep slope.
The power that will not only keep you grateful for what you have now,
But will also be the answer to your each and every 'how.'
It will make you believe in 'the brighter tomorrows,'
The tomorrows with more joys and lesser sorrows.
It will teach you that nothing is the end,
That there's no harm in standing out, you don't always have to blend.
It will show you how believing in yourself can work magics,
It will show you the solutions to every happening tragic.
The power that you should have in times of good and times of bad,
When you're happy and even when you're sad.
Once you possess hope don't keep it to yourself,
Spread it from person to person and let it help everyone to make a better of themselves.
Chasing Fireflies
By Dikshita P.
I was trapped in a room
Full of darkness.
Until he came along
He came along like my shadow,
But a shadow that didn't leave me alone in the darkness.
He was the silvery shadow under the moonlight
Dancing in the corridor
So I cut off the lights
And watched the dim light from the moon.
The way he flew away,
I chased him like a firefly.
After four years, it was me searching for him in a distance that I never saw before.
I haven't seen him since 1965.
Warm smell of the roses filling the air.
Everyone was gathered in the corridor for the fest
And there he was again, there he was again
Standing in front of the door
How we danced in the corridor before,
It was a dance to forget.
I saw him gazing at me from far away.
I was thinking to myself, "This can be either heaven or hell"
He was the firefly that flew away without a goodbye.
And now there he was, in the front door, holding his champagne and giving me a familiar smile.
Last thing I remember was searching for the place I was before.
I heard the guitar strings up ahead in the distance
Singing a melody as if saying to me to let him fly away once more.
Holding the Thorns
By Dikshita P.
If you keep holding the thorns because you love them
then, you're going to bleed till the point of making your skin rip apart and make your bones show.
Your skin will rip slowly and the pain will increase every day.
Your flesh will show up and make your hand a bloody pool,
You'll keep thinking you're fine but then your bones will show up.
While you will already faint and lay in the ground unconsciously until someone finds you.
If no one finds you then your body will lay in the ground like a corpse and the ants will slowly start eating your body,
And within a short period of time your body will disappear completely.
Though some crumbles of your skin will lay on the floor.
For
By Ladli K.
For into me, He dare see,
Foresee, the new me arises.
Forsooth, he left me,
Forlorn ever and dim...
But...
He forgot the colour of my eyes
Should I forgive him?
My Perfect Purple
By Ladli K.
Neither the Lavender,
Nor the Lilac
Not even the Blue,
Or a bit of the Red
But she was my Purple
And it's entirely different
We’re on high frequency
Her quantumly Entangled Actions
and so survives she,
Even the rigid diffractions
Keep Going
By Anushka J.
Perseverance is the key,
When everything seems bleak
Just keep going my friend,
as it will take you to the end
For things may seem difficult sometimes,
Smile as it will make your problems blind
Perhaps moving ahead is the only way,
For life is something that will never stay.
The Death Cry
By Sanchi
Between the beats of her heart
his soul crumbled to ashes
the intangible memories
came running as glaring flashes
He stared into darkness
devil manifested her in bloodred broken flame
She searched for the light in blackness
Angels’ voices a-singing, sparking his name
His soul was of night sky
the darkest ebony with the speech of light
It all happened under the sky on fire
flames glazed upon his burning heart that night
The Girl in the Green Dress
By Tiya C.
Raindrops fell on the little girl's wrist
She tried to hold them in her fist
Silky black hair and fair skin
She wore a green dress and her name was Quinn
Six months of house prison
Quinn left her house with a fake reason
All she wanted was to leave her house
Which was rid of any sound
Bark! Her dog called to Quinn
She looked back, Lily to be seen
She had white fur and small eyes
Lily barked again telling her to come inside
Quinn looked at the sky for the last time
Knowing there wouldn't be a next time
She was glad she came out today
She ran back in happily never to be seen again.
The Midnight Sea
By Anushka J.
Sitting beneath the sky that shines,
Twelve o’clock in night with the stars so bright
Calm and soothing as I like it to be,
Listening to water gush in front of a sea
Moonlit sky that seems so shy,
Trees rustling in that breezy night
As down I lay and close my eyes,
All I feel is magical inside
In Hush I Lay
By Ananya B.
Peeping through my window,
In bed I lay,
Travelling through the past,
Still I lay.
Beyond my imagination,
Flashes the reality,
Masked from the world I lay.
Thoughts flow, with boundaries weak
Caught in four walls,
With news getting in my ears,
Helpless, in worry I lay.
Hidden corners speak,
As I walk bare tension.
The house that once was a sleeping space,
Becomes the expanse of my life.
The world in pain,
The nature rejoices,
The social animal locked in own space.
The subtle movement deviates my thought,
Was then unnoticed by my rush.
Holding the hands of my family,
Unknown beauty of togetherness I watch,
With strength and hope I lay.
In slight frivolous,
My eyes twinkle,
Less I speak,
Still I giggle,
In utter awe I lay.
Where everything goes upside down,
Quietude persists,
Not with will,
But terror.
My lips utter prayers,
Not with unease,
But for normalcy to return,
In hope, mute I lay.
Hearing the silence,
Hushed I lay.
So Far...
By Tanvi J.
I rose to the heat of the sun on my face,
To the song of the birds and the wind's embrace,
People hurried to places all over the world,
Cycles chimed, planes flew and sails unfurled,
Everywhere life went on as it did every day,
And if you would ask anyone, they would say,
And so far, the world was normal.
I woke up the second day with some unrest,
Heard about what was happening and felt distressed,
“I’m sure it will be alright”, I said to myself,
And put all my worries on the highest shelf,
But had I known better I wish,
Life, I would have told myself to cherish,
And so far, the world was changing.
I woke up the third day in my bed,
And the sun’s rays again fell on my quilted bedspread,
And the birds still sang and the wind still blew,
But something felt wrong and my dread grew,
I no longer heard the laughter of children sweet,
And the rumbling of cars in my street,
And so far, the world was not the same.
A drop turned to ripples in the water,
Just how mother nature had taught her,
That ripple soon turned to a wave,
And in a blink, everyone was its slave,
The tide suddenly flooded our cave,
Instantly, everything was oh so grave,
And so far, the world was in trouble.
The fourth day, I opened my eyes,
And everywhere I looked I saw heavy demise,
Masses of people dying and sick,
I whispered, “I wish it will be over quick”,
We were trapped, nary a person in sight,
All was perpetual, be it light or twilight,
And so far, the world was quiet.
The fifth day came, I didn’t want to rise,
To this earth which was in a guise,
Then my sister entered my room with a smile bright,
“Let’s play”, she said so I said alright,
I picked up the phone and heard some noises,
My friends were calling, I smiled when I heard their voices,
And so far, the world was not so bad.
I heard about the heroic doctors and nurses,
And my spirits were lifting and so were the curses,
I laughed with my friends while we played online,
I looked around me and for the first time I felt fine,
Thousands of innovations and lots of hope,
I know we will rise from this sinking slope,
Learning how to cook and doing a chore,
I began to appreciate life more and more,
We have each other for a hug and a kiss,
I know, I do, that we will all get through this,
And so far, the world was happier.
UNHOLY OBITUARY
By Saniya S.
HAPPY IS THE LORD
WHEN IT IS PRONOUNCED DEAD
UNDYING THEN
ARE THE WILLED UNTO DEATH
FOR THEY GIVE TO THE WORLD
LIFE
AND THE WILLED TO POWER ?
PLEASING ARE THEY
TO THE LORD
FOR THEY GIVE TO THE WORLD
THE UNHOLY OBITUARY
THE FINAL FAREWELL
TO THE FINALLY SATISFIED
THE FINALLY RESTING
CREATOR
HAPPY IS THE LORD
ONLY WHEN IT HEAVES ITS LAST BREATH
INTO MANKIND
BUT TIRED, WEARISOME
ETERNAL AND UNDYING
IS THE LORD
FOR IT IS NOT YET THAT DAY
The Light
By Navdisha G.
At times, you won't see the light
but there will come a day when the air'll blow- so slow and silent
that you won't even know
it'll move the trees aside
and you'll see the moon behind,
shining- clear and bright.
My Mansion
By Anonymous
the mansion hidden beneath my soul,
with every denial i'd stay away from there
every trauma of the past
haunts me until i get there,
so one day i pack my stuff
gathered the courage to enter in there
at first i thought of it as hell,
now it's heaven.
this mansion isn't visible to others
it's invisible like its authority
to bring death along with it
the moment you step in,
it'll hit you with
the wave of wholesome loneliness
that extends
underneath every bit of flesh
you shall have.
walls filled of anonymous abuses you'd get,
and the faces of those monsters outdoors.
my demons feed off,
on the delirious deformities i'd own,
the juicy jeopardizable judgments
ever spoken by humans behaving inhumane
waterfalls of grief flooded the floors
hidden beneath the walls of frustration
soaking up every drop of satisfaction
brought up a drought in my eyes
that now these floors
store up the screams, the grief, the pain
and leave me hollow surface
left to erode every bit of tears and life,
till my soul dissociates itself from me
and salutes the demon
till my corpse in left on the floor,
as i cut the skin of black roses to bleed.
the bed of bruises and black roses
my restless head sleeps on
drowns me with a heavy dose
a glimpse of the bloody war
excruciating my soul
and the devil laughing with pride
it's enough to keep me up all night.
satanic demons choking me down,
a kind of black magic they practice,
without hypnotising me
into their acidific arms.
no, there's no windows or doors
in this grave
only the snakes of suicide
slithering around here
there's no possibility,
to run away from this hellbound heaven,
no excavation.
so this is where i live now,
this is where i've settled down.
Christmas
By Navdisha G.
Remember those days when we believed in Santa?
with complete dedication and faith, we set up the Christmas tree
Recall those days when we used to make wishes,
with closed eyes, setting whispers free
Well now Christmas- it's just a day, a happy holiday
The wishes we blew away? they're tiny pieces of hair
There was a time when happiness was running up and down the stairs
a time we used to believe in tales
There was a time when goodness was all we knew, a time when all story morals held true
Unaware of how it feels like when hopes are shattered
Unaware of what it is when trust is broken
Unaware of how it is to feel sad, disappointed, afraid, angry
Unaware of how it is to be overwhelmed yet empty.
We grew up. We did.
Grew up against our own beliefs, like they were all just lies,
Accepted it's not how things work, knowing that that's how they should've
The world, it's people,they proved everything wrong, they didn't help hold our beliefs, they could've.
But could we all just make sure nobody grows up to believe it's all a lie?
That goodness, justice, faith, honesty- it's all true, that's how things work
That they're not things you get to believe in just as a child.
A Suicide Note
By Adith J.
I didn’t know where I was
the only thing I knew was water around me
I felt someone grabbing my throat
couldn’t breathe, couldn’t scream, all I saw
was water swallowing me!
I tried to go up and take some air
never knew why I did that, but felt the need to do that
I saw life and death swinging
before my eyes but alas I couldn’t choose any
but someone chose death for me!
I was going deep down
into a dark watery world very few had seen
I was going deeper into the unknown
suddenly I remembered my suicide note which I
left on my desk!
I wrote in that note,
why I wanted to die, the reason for my suicide
I had lost everything
my money, my wife, my family, my societal status
so I decided to die!
I went deeper into the water world
saw death in front of me but he was laughing
I knew why
because I realised the biggest thing I lost
was my own life!
I realised, I made my life a mockery
a joke for death to laugh at me,
I regretted my vouch for death, I cried out loud
my zest to live, my zest to survive
but alas none could hear, alas none could see
I was late to realise,
all I could do was close my eyes
all I could do was close my eyes……