SUNWRITA DASTIDAR

1st Year, English Honours, Miranda House, Delhi University

I’m No Stranger to You…

I’m no stranger to you, forest-eyed jealousy
You cling to the back of my cold neck
Whispering poison into my ear
I swallow it, choking silently on my own fear

I’m no stranger to you, ice-eyed loneliness
You feed on the tears that fall from my sky
Hungry for my hollowed soul
I let you swallow me whole

I’m no stranger to you, blood-eyed anger
You stride into my mind brandishing daggers
Setting everything aflame
I let myself burn to a charred shell

I’m no stranger to you, coal-eyed sadness
You promise an existence of oblivion
Smothering me with darkness
I let you hold me, pulling me further down

I’m no stranger to you either, mud-eyed soldier
In a relentless war with no base camp to rest in
You fight through the broken trenches
I’ll not let you give up, soldier. Keep fighting.