Of Curses And Blessings

By Natasha Marathakode Shafi

I dreamt with my eyes open,

Beside the open field of comfort.

Imagining the fairytale that I could be,

Seemless and quiet, a brook and a mane,

A smile and a heart.

Time passed on and so did the dreams,

Of miles and endless sky.

Forged into a shield by world and viles.

Burned by the heartless and wise,

Only ashes to stain and smoke to rise.

Mind helplessly strewn, lay barren in its cage,

For I no longer have dreams that keep me awake.

All forgotten in the mindless frost

That numb my hands and lips and all.

No longer do I remain in the shadows of my dreams,

I keep them now within mine.

The fairytale ending has no one now.

Just some green and blue, no life is born.

No longer do I seek to be the princess,

The shoe does not quite fit.

Like a village folk whose thoughts are fixed.

The spectator of tragic history or rueful love.

Over seeing the vices and the dames

And the dragons and the knights

And never one among them.

My fairy tale is torn

Thrown into fire to be engulfed by the madness of my world.

By Natasha Marathakode Shafi