The Dead and the Deadly

1
by India

There is a screaming voice inside my head.
It’s getting louder, second by second.
it says I’m alive but not there,
visible, but not seen.

I ignore it a day or so. it only appears at school.
it came back, louder than ever.
My parents were saying that someone was working magic,
as they thought my food was disappearing.
They asked my friend if they’d seen me,
they only replied,
“The dead and the deadly.”

I realised the voice isn’t anyone other than my friend.
we weren’t talking for a while.
then she whispered…
“Now that you are being called the dead and the deadly,
it’s time for you to become it…”

I ran and ran, not looking back.
Then someone whispered. “Turn back…”

Silent Scream

5
by Alisa

Every day I wake up,
I get ready for the day.
But why do I feel so tired?
I just woke up.
Sitting at the table, eating lunch.
Going back to sit on the couch.
Minding my own business.
Then she comes in and says:
“It’s best if you were overlooked.”
Those words hit like a knife.
Remembering how many times she told me,
All these hurtful words, stuck in my head.
I could forgive, but I can´t forget.
The damage she did.
Everything I seem to say is wrong.
Everything I wear is not designed for me.
Everything I do is judged and criticized.
I want to tell her how much it hurts.
I want to yell at her how much she broke me.
But I´m too scared to do that.
Too scared that she will hurt me even more.
So I keep quiet.
So I live in silence.
Yet there´s so much going on in my head.
My thoughts are wild and dark.
I sew my lips shut, so nothing will spill out.
I put on a mask, so they won´t suspect a thing.
Living with fear, living in pain.
I can feel myself fading away.
The tornado in my head is making me insane.
But I keep it all to me.
So no one will ever hear
My silent scream.

Living Through History (Pandemic)

0
by Harshita Das

We rarely speak of the elephant in the room
And when we do, we may tell a morbid joke or two
The crowd laughs, to stifle the terror of their doom
All ignoring the tension which diligently stews

Even when fear latches us in its vice-like grip, blood running cold
Hubris doesn’t allow us to perceive it as a real, tangible threat
We’re Untouchable, Invincible, Invulnerable; or so we’re told
We abandon caution, which fear gifts us, and do things we’ll later regret

Big enough to keep us locked in our rooms, staring outside; intangible and vague
Yet close enough to see fallen people; relatives and friends; utterly terrifying and ominous
None of us wish to be consumed by an ever-worsening plague
Who knew living through history could be so horrendous?

Muted Appeals

0
by Fathima Muneer

In the young fields of the wild forest
The mountains breathed with silent sighs
The dew drops dripped like diamonds
Tingling in the silent air.

In that silent land of symphony
The trees seemed to speak
Their silent words echoed through
Sending a wave of harmony.

The flowers spread waves of hope
Blessing the forest
With blossomed smells
Drifting everything to sleep.

The air spread silent prophecies
Awaking the rusted minds
Giving solace to the lost souls
Coloring the blank minds

But now as I walk through,
The forest that was once a paradise
Is now a terrifying battlefield
The place where I once sought peace
Is now filled with fears and cries.

The forest that was once filled with blossomed smells
Is now scorching with smells of violence
The solace I once found there.
Has perished like dust.

Here I sit among a thousand dead victims,
Waiting for hope
All I can hear is a thousand cries,
Wailing for freedom.

A change is all Earth needs,
But who in this busy world has a moment to spare?
A moment to change?
A moment to refresh?

But I believe my words will not be heard
But hope still sparks around me
That someday, sometime, someone
Might have a moment to spare…
A moment to change.

Come Home Daddy

0
by Holly

Daddy,come home
I miss you
Why did you leave
I know you miss me too.
Daddy come home
Where did you go
Since the day you left
Mummy has been low

Watchful Loneliness

2
by Harshita Das

Stepped on the parquet floor
Watchful eyes tracking every fault
As their peering gazes bore
Into me; My steps came to a halt

A crowd clustered around
Eagerly waiting for me; the Other me
I opened my throat to make a sound
I wondered why it felt so horribly lonely

Stomach churning, I heaved inside
As they howled from the stands
I wanted to run; I wanted to hide
Instead I smiled and cheerily waved my hands

Although millions watched me
and my warm gaze and pretense of fun
I had the horrid feeling, you see
Of being seen by no one

Language

2
by Harshita Das

I’ve seen language be wielded like a weapon
I’ve seen it in words; all edges and barbs
I saw it in songs of heartbreak; And empathy crushed my chest
Saw it in beautifully woven stories
Those are the ones which hurt the most
Each letter, a thorn; until all I could feel
Was prickling underneath my skin
Until all I could think about were cruel things
And my petty problems suddenly seemed insignificant

I’ve seen language be wielded like medicine
Words which make me cry in joy
As if a warm candle has been lit
In my chest
Happy endings; small smiles and rumbling laughter
Humorous jokes
Which make the world brighter; If only for a moment
Until the cruel worlds disappeared
And all I could feel was contentment and satisfaction

Death

11
by Suilven Sloan-Griffiths

Unto the callow youth and the wise and old seeking rest,
But the innocent and pure of humble life’s best,
From the mindful gaze to the sharpest eye,
One sorrowful day we will see the mellow sky,
The blissful clouds and the sun gleaming butter yellow,
The fields of corn and wheat where the bull stands solemn and mellow,
That make the shy bird start and take wing into the brilliant sky,
The day we close our sorrowful eye.

Stories of Our Lives

2
by Harshita Das

Stories exist; Like people
each unique in the way all stories differ
yet can be categorized

A story can provide
an elegant solution
to tie up the loose ends
and weave a Satisfying ending
fantasy can provide
a comforting conclusion
(but can never touch the bounds of reality)

So many are drawn to Tragedies
to horror and conflicts
and I wonder our reasons; our Justifications
for making something that sends a shiver down our spine
or our fascination with reading
books that have tears staining the pages

Perhaps we all have that sliver of sadistic glee
Which we try to stifle in the interests of society
A simple, uncomplicated desire to watch others in pain
And the fact that the words on the page are unreal;
Characters are fictional
Is an excuse to keep our guilty consciences at bay
An excuse to keep away from the disdain of society

Perhaps we create stories
To project ourselves on to others
Who lead far more interesting lives than us
Stories to convince ourselves
that we’re important; that we matter
Even if, statistically,
We wouldn’t even be a fraction of grain relative
To the vast reality of the universe

Whatever Justifications for our actions we give
we make stories
we will make stories
else it is my firm belief
that all minds would collapse

Balance

0
by Harshita Das

Everything in life is precariously balanced
It’s a wonder it hasn’t collapsed yet
A single change can tip the scale
In an Earth Shattering way
It’s not much of a wonder
Why we have a deep-rooted fear of change
Those who are accepted
Have their place in the world
Those who aren’t
Have their place as well
At the bottom
Along with the dejected
Along with change and differences
Along with the unknown
And everything we’re afraid of