A Trip Too Long

By T. Pratiksha Reddy

I like a cup of coffee in the morning 

It keeps the dream demons at bay 

And I hope I'm not seen by someone I know 

When I step out of the house today 

(Or everyday). 

My face, it always abandons me Begins to reveal all that is broken inside. 

So, I take a moment or two, 

I breathe in and out a few, 

I pull out the most convincing smile And it fools everyone (all the time). 

Now, I see myself with all the people My voice so loud, it drowns my thoughts And I hear a laugh I don't recognise (Was that me?) 

And while I'm busy hiding my anxiety I become a person I don't recognise. Is this who I am in reality? 

Or am I just fading into the world? 

And one day, it dawns on me 

That I've been away for too long. 

I've left my inner child, still patiently waiting 

And it's time for me to find my way back. 

I abandoned her once 

For the sake of the world 

And it took me too long to learn 

That the world's not worth it. 

Now I hold her close every night, 

I let her be free 

And as she sheds her decades of pain I learn to feel at peace. 

By T. Pratiksha Reddy