By Deekshita Tota
When they arrived,
She realized her worth anew.
Strangers from far away,
from the stars she traced last May.
Their presence excited her more than it frightened her.
Their language, a whisper on paper-
she knew they sought to aid, not shatter.
While some stood in a blur against her,
behind her stood a man who gazed upon the same stars.
Strangled in understanding the new guests,
Her dreams began to weave the now with the next.
It was both a gift and a curse-
no war with the past,
no war with the future.
There was a little stranger she cradled in her dreams
A soul she hadn't met yet
A soul she would have to leave
The tiny things- or anything-
suddenly seemed like nothing.
And yet, she chose the path she had already seen-
A path that didn't end so green.
They departed, awaiting greater help,
Leaving behind their gift-her fate
As everybody embraced in peace,
hers resided in him.
The man she had seen in the stars before-
As she held on to what was hers,
If only for this moment,
she whispered, "I had forgotten how this felt.''