The Wanderer's Heart

By Pratishtha Kumari

In the hills, I long to disappear,

To be lost, unseen, unclaimed—

Far from the chains of a family

That rules my heart yet never understands it.

I can explore the world too,

Trek the mountains,

Dive into waters deep

And dance with the quiet grace of aquatic life.

I dream of galloping on a horse,

A princess of my own story,

Sitting beneath the lights of Prem Mandir, Vrindavan,

And wandering alone at night

Where safety is a gentle companion.

I ache to discover Mumbai,

A city that breathes with purpose;

To lose myself in Delhi’s ruins

And carve my words into travelogues of time.

I am a globe-trotter at heart,

A selenophile who will one day

Climb Kashmir’s peaks and shout—

“Here I am! Untamed, unbroken!”

But sometimes, the harshest enemy

Is not the world outside,

It is your own people—

Those who silence your dreams

With promises of “someday.”

Someday is a cage.

Today, I long to fly.

By Pratishtha Kumari