Self Love

By Aditi Sayil

I stopped the moment I looked,

Regretting why I saw,

And closed my eyes,

To shield them from the sight,

Of something so fragmented and brittle,

I despise it, I thought

Couldn’t love,

Like an ocean to its shore,

Bees to honey, or words to a poet.

Then I remembered,

Times when I was dazed and confused,

Crestfallen and miserable,

World seemed like a cruel dungeon,

Where other’s opinions were nothing,

But words masqueraded as false pity,

Promises caked with stale honey,

Where the dagger of betrayal,

Stung every now and then,

And kindness was miles away.

Then, like a light in the crack,

A small voice spoke,

Pleading me not to lose hope,

It said, ‘I’m here, do not fear.’

I was dubious, didn’t believe it,

Still, it persisted.

People came, people went,

That voice stayed,

Nestled in the depths,

Of my resilient heart.

So I opened my eyes,

Looked into the mirror,

And smiled.

By Aditi Sayil