Toxic Breeds Toxic

By Shruti Kakkar

Truly, certainly, verily

It's a travail to enthuse over the trivial

They call it a celebration.

The shades over my eyes are darker than theirs it seems...their bright and sunny days are the gloomiest of my nights or maybe they wear shades to brave the sun while I, in order to escape it.

Their general effusiveness towards life surges my austerity manifolds towards it...

Ages back or so it appears, my eyes and mouth used to be Bum Chums ... When I laughed, the candour was mirrored in the countenance of my eyes...today, my poor lips smile and laugh on the auto pilot mode, more like it's just a chore.

Back then, I would cry at the drop of a hat and laugh spontaneously a spirited cackle ..today my feeble caged soul peeps helplessly through my empty, guarded eyes.

My lively gait had the spring of purpose in them, unaffected, vigorous yet graceful.....these days I manage to drag along with the idle drift of life..

They stare at me curiously, questioning the rationale behind this metamorphism..

I glance at my present reluctantly from the corner of my eyes and ponder for the hundredth time.."if only I had cut the cord earlier....

By Shruti Kakkar