OverthoughtSpace

Poetry

The Perfect Picture

‘Take a deep breath,
Are you comfortable?
We need it to be perfect!’
As constant echoes of the same old clichèd enthusiasm ringed his ears
He knew he couldn’t say no,
He wouldn’t say no
The expectations, the people and he himself wouldn’t let him turn back…
‘Y…es’
Damn, a three letter word and a fumble…
Get over it…
The encouragement was never about you
Be there and deliver
A personality,
A facade, with which you have been living for a while
Just a different one, the one the world wants to see
Channel your emotions,
Channel the feelings which you don’t feel
Put on a smile….
And that’s it…
Now, no one will bother you,
No one will bother about you…
As the others rejoice,
An emptiness fills the void
You, your heart, your mind
Just as numb as before
But the smile tells it all…
Not the truth
But the story
Of a happy journey
The perfect picture, waiting to be framed
Depicts an emotion never felt
But does it matter?
Why to bother?
Move along, as the time takes you
Looking back, the photo is of a wonderful moment
And
All you can do now?
All you can do now is be.

Prose

Feelings Like That

A few years down the memory lane; not many. There were many things we felt, we thought that we now, don’t.
And it’s weird…
You don’t look at life the same way, you don’t look at relationships the same way, you don’t see yourself the same way.
You may agree or may not but those early school years when we unconsciously found friends and happiness were awesome.
We weren’t independent for sure but that feeling of fear; the fear of forgetting that notebook, the fear of a particular teacher or the fear that your mom would find you have a midnight snack was also beautiful.
Those fears formed memories, I bet you can still feel your heart sink when you think of the day you climbed your bus and then realised that you had forgotten a copy about which you were being nagged for days.
Now, not so much…
We’ve all become too conscious of everything,
Our feelings are so complicated, and things like embarrassment or thoughts like image issues have become a part of our life,
We don’t have the guts to just run and bounce on a trampoline anymore…
Maturity is essential, but wanting to feel simple again or having fewer confusions in your life doesn’t mean that you haven’t grown up.
The wish to feel free by riding a swing doesn’t make you a kid, it just makes you happier.
Just think about another instance, we can’t just say what we feel anytime, sometimes it’s even hard to put in words what we feel…
We don’t really tell how we feel about others, and the fact is that you can’t.
How easy was it to feel positive earlier, a terrible new toy could make us feel as if we were on top of the world, a small stare from an elder could make us feel fear, a slightly harsh tone could make us cry…
It is not easy to feel like that anymore,
Feelings like that are now hard to come by.
I cannot be idealistic and tell you to live your life as you did in your childhood.
You can’t. You definitely can’t
But nostalgia is beautiful; take a trip down the memory lane and remember how you used to feel and think,
You’d find a few regrets and a few laughs but one thing would be for sure; You’d wish that your feelings were not so messed up as they are now.
It’s good to have that thought; to have that wish; this emotion should be a part of yourself, to make yourself realise during your low times that there were happier days in the past and that hopefully, there would be brighter days in the future.

Poetry

A Lifeless City

I have a tale to tell.
Look, Imagine; a city thriving.’
Full of colours, Full of light
But feels devoid of life
Though there are smiles
And beautiful bright skies
Life isn’t so fun here,
Why am I so snarky?
Cause’ it’s a patriarchal society
Men carry stiff, well-kept moustaches
Women carry tearful eyes under a heavy drape; A drape that divides them from the world, the society,
Children here are told stories of the bravery of men and the tales of timid married women
The honour of men lies in the success of their sons and the marriage of their daughters
But
Then there was one brave hearted
Alone on the path, she raised her voice
Attacked the masculine nature of the society and strangled the ego of men
But her voices drowned as they choked her with the very drape she was against; She was termed as a shame
The men said;
‘She deserved it, honour killing was the only way.’
This city is crumbling from within.

I am still snarky
Cause’ this is also a homophobic society
A couple trapped in drapes
Could not see the love in each other’s eyes;
But the men could; The society could,
They were choked and termed as a shame
The men said;
‘They deserved it, honour killing was the only way.’
This city is dying from within.
Look, around; This city might be yours
Where only the men know about the good of others
Where,
There might be life, but some are lifeless
Where,
There might be people, but they’d be nothing more than just soulless bodies
Where,
There might be women, but they’d just be puppets tied up with the strings of patriarchy.