Great Fortitude

By Sabhyata Ravjani

She sits on her bed,

9 PM on the clock,

her little diary by the bed

as she goes through the pages. 

The screams of help muffled

by her larger-than-required self respect,

as she calls it. 

It showed her perseverance;

she appeared to be fixated on trying

to never yield in to the darkness,

enduring it all with great fortitude. 

She prayed and prayed 

with patience lurking, almost departed

but she believed in Him,

despite all that has transpired. 

Still, at the end of every day,

she would convince herself to

pick up the broken pieces of glass

before dawn breaks out and

the careful early risers trip over it

and discover the small shard of it

that had cut through their skin when

trying to clean up the mess. 

She sighs.

contemplating it all for the millionth time. 

Her self-restraint not allowing herself

to open the door to anyone who draws courage to ring the bell. 

At last, she forced herself to

shut the diary and lock it up,

away in an unprocurable drawer. 

She tells herself goodnight and 

hopes for a convenient tomorrow. 

By Sabhyata Ravjani