By Hani Manjunath
They said it felt like a boulder Lodged on your chest As if simply that could encompass What I feel like, felt then And will feel, for what feels like forever It ain’t just a boulder It’s my parents expectation Their gold tinted dreams Their blood, sweat & tears It’s an echo of the laughter The snide remarks That’ll be inevitable, were I to fall It’s the shadow of shame Looming over me Like a foreboding wisp A sickly layer of oil That I worry will trap me Within its grasp But mostly, It’s that innate fear, That creeps into my bones Unbeknownst to me And takes root in my very soul The fear of being forgotten Of being ‘ordinary’ Another face on the sidelines Nameless, faceless, & nothing It’s that very fear, Of being tied down And snipped of my wings That keeps me going Through the heart gripping anxiety Through the sleepless nights Through lonely stills That have become my normal All so that one day, I might make it far, far away from this place…
By Hani Manjunath
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