Metamorphosis

By Saumya Tripathi

I wandered the gardens of ingenuity,

It was lush with plants and shards of sunlight.

What caught my eye was neither the squeal of kaleidoscopic flowers nor the muffled

whimper of poignant plants.

It was a pearl, petite and set on a variegated leaf.

I secretly slipped it into the shadows of my pocket,

our inner child stumbled into an uncharted street,

We made our way through non-negotiable dimensions, and we called it our abode.

It was a whole new place for both of us,

We both wanted to break free from our shells,

But who would want our withered hearts when the air shivered in contradictions.

Turns out the egg became a caterpillar, Every day its heart ached for its obsolete

form, now a mere caricature.

We became friends in this devouring city,

where people turned out to be perfected into machinery.

The earth danced on its axis daily and we broke into the madness of chrysalis.

I kept calm and watched my little friend looking at me like a complete stranger,

My head heavier than ever,

I complained about being a burdened wanderer.

The next morning shone brighter than ever,

The gleaming sunlight knocked ruthlessly on my window.

An invitation to step into the sun's relentless courtship.

Something in me felt lighter and new,

I wrestled fiercely with the highest shadows of phobias,

Waking today felt like a chance to ink commandments of my own.

My little friend which was hiding somewhere was today a butterfly and was resting within

its fragile glory.

It was nowhere to be found, nowhere to be hunted.

My bane of camaraderie abandoned me,

his loudest silence linger, his absence became my favourite memory.

By Saumya Tripathi