By Sonali Negi
It’s an early winter evening,
The world grows darker still.
Through the high-rise window, I watch
As life cascades past,
While I am caught in a realm of stillness.
City lights, headlights, fairy lights—
Screaming to frighten
The ghost of darkness slowly enveloping me.
“Who are you?” the reflection on the windowpane asks
I am the one questioning everything,
The one clawing back the layers.
I am the seeker, finding herself within herself,
The one who longs for more.
Drifting into the maze of my being,
I see the heart and head in argument
Where should this weary soul begin?
The heart yields, as I knew it would.
The head beckons,
Its alleys both shadowed and lit.
Some lanes bear the scars of battle-worn thinkers;
Others pulse with the energy of rookies ready to burst forth.
Bridging this realm,
Blossoming creativity and burgeoning willpower.
When I turn towards the heart,
The dam of emotions breaks.
Anger, love, guilt, happiness, fear,
And sadness spill into a flood
I dip my feet into the ebb and flow,
And say:
"I have come to find myself."
“You were never lost, my Athena,”
The voice whispers.
“Then why this unease?”
“Because you are breathing, not gasping.”
“Who am I?”
“You are your own shield-maiden.
Find yourself. Build an empire, or simply be
But, above all, write your own story.”