VIOLET
We were one in body and soul.
INDIGO
We stood together never breaking apart.
BLUE
After they tried to drown us you forgot how to breathe.
GREEN
Your thorns pierce my heart.
YELLOW
I search for another sun in my solar system.
ORANGE
Fall seven times. Get up. Eight.
RED
The wounds heal but the scars remain.
After all this time,
I was on the brink of losing my will to be stronger,
So I tried looking for a fresh start,
I didn’t think I could wait for you any longer.
Believing all our efforts had gone in vain,
I became oblivious to the void in my heart,
That is, until you were at my doorstep again.
I couldn’t believe my eyes,
I pinched myself just to be sure,
But there you were, with your arms wide open,
My heartache’s cure.
You cracked the same nonsensical jokes and snorted out the familiar goofy laugh,
You could light up any room with your presence, no matter how obscure,
Everything about you,
Reminded me why love was something worth fighting for.
Effortlessly, we went back to the slow summer nights,
As the sky melted from orange to blue,
Spinning in linen dresses under the city lights.
We sang along to our favourite tunes out loud,
Waltzed around the street unabashed,
Finally stopped worrying about the views of the crowd.
Although it pains me to think that not too long ago,
You were forced to say goodbye,
I’ve learnt,
Problems occur now and then,
But true love can’t be taken away by the tides of time, the wrath of gods or the close-mindedness of men.
The fact that we’re together,
Even after all these trials,
Proves that ‘love overcomes all obstacles’ isn’t just a myth.
So, as we kissed underneath the starlit sky,
I realised I couldn’t fall for you again,
Because I had never stopped loving you to begin with.
By Shreeja Singh
How long do I have to wait?
How long do I have to seek?
An empty road
An even more barren heart
You fight for glory
You fight for hate
You fight for everything
Yet I am the one who waits
How long do I have to wait for you to come home?
How long do I have to be forlorn?
Fake smiles, stoic laughs
Happy parties but no part
A rippling river
Bustling with life
But why am I the lone bud
Alone waiting as I strive
Why can’t you see I fight against the ultimate?
The ticks of clocks
Closes and locks
The open door we had before
The actual feelings start to wither
At the core
Why do I wait?
Why do I wait?
For a man who leaves me behind
For a hand that doesn’t hold mine
For eyes that no longer gleam
We may see the same moon and sunshine
But farther than we seem
I lose a lot for you to gain
I then choose to remain
You leave to fight battles that are not yours
You leave to win and rejoice
The end result of our choice
But I am the one who waits
Alone without you
Waiting and waiting
Serene and astute
I gave up a choice to stand beside you
You chose to make me wait
For you
Why should I wait?
For whom should I wait?
Battle gears, war fields
Leave a little blood for me
Drop by drop you water a soil
You use your blood to nurture an unknown seed
But what about the one you left in me
But what about the blood that needs to flow through your heart
So I stop waiting and end this treacherous path
If you want to bleed the whole of you
For a land that will forget you in
Bloodied pages of time
If you want to fight
Fight for a battle that may never be yours
But leave a little drop for me to make that heart beat
But fight a war for me by giving me back my choice
As a beauty waits home
So does a seed
Waiting and waiting
For you to meet.
Standing in front of the mirror
Naked
Vulnerable
Disgust was not an alien feeling to her
Questioning her existence, as tears streamed down her face
She had never thought heartbreak could do this.
Love, incomprehensible to her
Yet she herself decided to give it a chance, give him a chance
And yet both betrayed her
Leaving her exposed and in desolation.
She was afraid of love
Afraid of opening up to the wrong person
And getting heartbroken
And yet,
She took a leap of faith.
Wishing to go back in time
Wishing to have never met him
Wishing to have not fallen in his trap
Was futile
And yet she wished for all this.
However,
Her spirit,
Couldn’t be broken.
Picked herself up from the floor
Dried up her tears
Stared at her reflection
Felt an unusual emotion bloom in her chest.
Love?
What she felt could only be termed as love
Disbelief was prominent on her face
An unfamiliar emotion had overpowered the emotions felt previously
Liberation was felt to her core
Liberation from the disgust towards herself
Acceptance of her imperfections
Embracing herself she whispered,
“I am enough.”
" Young Writers' Collective" 