Poetry

By Ellie Stokes I live in a haunted house, The walls built so high and dark - If you stay here too long It'll leave a terrifying mark. When twilight hits Make sure to turn and run. Don't wait around to see What all these secrets have done. The monsters come out And they'll hunt you down; They won't stop until You're six feet underground. They'll tie you up and strangle you With ropes made of your own hair And there's nothing you can do Except sit there and stare. They'll scra

By Ellie Stokes I can't bandage my own wounds so my blood seeps out onto paper instead. While others bleed crimson liquid, I bleed pitch black ink. My pages are covered in scribbles of my efforts to understand my own mind. My poems scream esoterically, their intentions hidden deep in layers of metaphors. My pen flies across the lines on the page, forming the words of a thousand caged voices screeching in my mind. Between these folds of paper are my deepest secrets, my darkest

By Mandeep Kaur ज़िंदा है तू, जी ले ज़रा, जब मरने का वक़्त आएगा, तो जीना चाहेगा। खुशियों का ताला है तेरे पास — उसे खोल ले ज़रा, हर पल को जी और मुस्कुरा ले ज़रा। खुद को खोकर लगा है सब कुछ पाने की दौड़ में, मिटा दे इस दौड़ को — और खुद को पा ले ज़रा। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur जो मेरा है, वो मुझसे दूर कैसे जा पाएगा, जो मेरा नहीं, वो अपने आप चला जाएगा। फिर दुख किस बात का, जो मेरा है, वो मेरे हिस्से में आएगा। मुझे तो बस वो बनना है, जिससे मिलकर खुदा भी खुश हो जाएगा। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur दुःख तो हुआ होगा टहनी को सूखे पत्तों को खोकर, मुश्किल तो हुआ होगा अकेला सा होकर। मगर जब पतझड़ के बाद बहार आएगी, तो टहनी खुद ही समझ जाएगी — कितना ज़रूरी था सूखे पत्तों का खोना, अपने ही हिस्से से जुदा होना। बहार ने समझाया — अगर टहनी पत्तों से जुदा न होती, तो वो भी आज सूखे पत्तों की तरह कहीं खो गई होती। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur मत कोशिश कर बाहर के शोर को कम करने की, बस इतना कर कि तू रुक जा, ठहर जा — रुकने का ही तो सारा खेल है। जब तू रुकना सीख जाएगा, बाहर का शोर अपने आप कम हो जाएगा। जिस शांति को तू ज़िंदगी भर ढूंढ रहा था, ठहर कर तो देख — तू उसे अपने अंदर ही पाएगा। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur दरिया है तू, बूंद हूँ मैं, तुझसे दूर कैसे रहूँ जब तुझमें मौजूद हूँ मैं। खोए हुए हैं सब ये सोच कर — बूंद कैसे दरिया हो पाएगी, जानते नहीं कि दरिया में समा जाएगी तो दरिया ही बन जाएगी। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur करता है क्यों मेला, मेला? याद रख — आया था अकेला, जाएगा भी अकेला। पर फिर भी क्यों है इस लोगों की भीड़ में तू अकेला? भूल गया है तू अपने आप को, क्या है तू। जिस दिन मिल जाएगा तू खुद से, उस दिन वीराने में भी लगेगा मेला। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur ऐ खुदा तूने मेरा जीना सँवार दिया, हर सुख में, हर दुख में मुझको निखार दिया, अब तो ये आलम है कि मैंने अपना सब कुछ तुझ पे निसार किया, जितना भी शुक्र करूँ कम है, जो तूने इतना प्यार दिया। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur कोई किसी के साथ है, कोई किसी के ख़िलाफ़ है, ये तो सबके अपने-अपने फ़ायदे की बात है। जिसका पकड़ा है हाथ मैंने, वो मेरे साथ है — तो फिर सोचने की क्या बात है। यक़ीन है, हर तूफ़ान से निकाल लेगा मुझे, यही तो उसकी ख़ास बात है। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur अकेले रहकर पता चला — कितना ख़ालीपन था भीड़ में। भागते थे हर चीज़ के पीछे, ख़ुशी पाने की उम्मीद में। वक़्त बदला, हम बदले, रिश्ते छूटे और चीज़ें छुटीं। अब तो ये आलम है कि उसी को देखते हैं हर चीज़ में। अकेले होकर पा लिया है उसको — जिसे पाना चाहते थे हम भीड़ में। By Mandeep Kaur

By Mandeep Kaur किसी का मामा बन जाए, किसी को उसे देखते ही महबूब की याद आ जाए, कहते हैं चाँद में दाग है, पर उसके बिना रात भी काली और वीरान हो जाए। यह तो सब के अपने-अपने नज़रिए की बात है, कोई उसमें दाग है ढूंढता, और कोई उसकी खूबसूरती के गुण गाए। By Mandeep Kaur

By Janae Smyth You too can be a character You too can be a celebrity Pieces of a story cherry picked To create a person seemingly idealistic Sculpt yourself like clay Turn hardship into child’s play Keep on painting that picture until you’re stronger than an iron fixture Keep on painting until you don’t realise the porcelain cracks with no texture Keep up the facade just as you would playing cards Your ace of diamonds is bound to shatter Into shards that cut your queens heart

By Janae Smyth Let me set the scene A soft bed warm sheets A safe haven A place to rest and sleep Where imagination runs wild Where you can live in your dreams Even for just a while They say a dream lasts 7 minutes So why does it feel like hours Bridge burned between mind and body The taste is still bitterly sour They say you can’t die in your dreams the body is left to cower death is far too righteous For the acts in front of the eyelids Stuck in paralysis Sheltered behind v

By Janae Smyth She’s addicted to prettier things in life She’s not afraid of causing a little strife When the sun starts to set She looks not at the west The pink and purple is just as pretty as the rest A mountain view she loves but a fern in a crevice holds her attention She sees the poetry of how something so eloquent Can grow in a stone cold place in segregation In the ferns and flowers she finds redemption She feels pretty in the trees Caresses the bark and high fives th

By Janae Smyth We all live for something to fill in the space Some live for hope of gods good grace To never win whatever the case Some live to be put in a kings place Along the way dirt thrown in their face Some live for the well known corporate race Carrying lies and deceit in their briefcase Some live for a steady family base Tempted by red leather and lace Some live for a different gods good grace We all know the half full half empty debate Reason or religion break into c

By Janae Smyth I don’t know your full story yet But I know some parts are dark as the oceans depth Is it too much to say I hope you never retire A passion for love depicted in your words I admire The way you show up like light glimmering on the surface inspires Silent and humble waiting just beneath the surface Came from the cold dark depths yet carry tenderness in your versus Light erupts when the tip of your pen meets the papers Wishing you would come up and meet with the s

By Janae Smyth You say you can guide me through But I don’t see how that can be true Be there for me to better cope But you know I can’t let go of that rope Holding onto that lack of hope lingering in the candlelight Shining on the darkest night a small flame ignites You say you’re the man for me Yet that possibility I cannot see My eyes blind and lost at sea If that see was my life’s path I would be sinking in its deep wrath Heavy walls blocking my sight And something tells

By Janae Smyth Her words perfectly crafted That’s where it all started You see she was his safe place He took this and ran at a fast pace He never did know how to express Childhood memories left him to depress Protect and provide now lesions in his mind He never did know how to unwind She opened his small eyes and he believed the world was his to conquer For him she built the perfect shelter She helped him fight his inner monster Dopamine addicts didn’t see the first herald A

By Janae Smyth Growing up was tough With your guidance a lot less rough You’re always my biggest supporter Makes sense why I was always shorter I can see you’ve gone through so much But you’ve always stayed as steady as a hardwood truss We were kids and you kept us as such Saving us from heavy emotion Guided us through with unshakable devotion I know the angles wept for your loss For all the names etched in a cross But inside the pearly gates there’s rejoices For when they he