I feel I never lost a game of war,
Yet somehow I lost in games that never were.
I have seen and let things go,
And when I held on, life made me let go.

I climbed mountains when all I sought was plain ground,
Chose never to look down,
So I wouldn’t face what I had left behind.

I was happy, until it struck me hard.
Perhaps I play these games just to win a few,
In case they reveal a purpose I never knew.

-

तेरी आँखों में जब-जब मैंने झाँका,
खुद को हीरे-सा दमकता पाया।
तेरी मौजूदगी ने जगाए मेरे मन के सुर,
तेरे बिना तो हर गीत अधूरा ही रह जाता।

लोग राह में सुन तो लेंगे मुझे,
पर कौन ठहरेगा, लौट-लौटकर सुनेगा
मेरे दिल की धुन, तेरे बिना?

तेरी मुस्कान ने सिखाया मुझे जीने का अर्थ,
तेरी हँसी में ही मिला जीवन का यकीन।
हाँ, सपनों में मैंने तुझे देखा है,
पर सच से भी ज़्यादा सुंदर निकले वे पल।

शायद किसी दिन तू समझ पाएगा
तेरे होने की असली क़ीमत,
या तेरे जाने की चुभन।

और जिस दिन सपनों की बारात में
मैं तुझे अपने साथ खड़ा देखूँगी,
उसी दिन मेरी आत्मा का यह डूबा गीत
पूरा हो जाएगा।

-

Do you know how it feels
To touch a growing flower,
To see its beauty unfold,
To pluck it for a loved one,
Imagining their smile,
Whispering you love them so much.

The flower, once alive with grace,
Now rests on a table,
Remembering how it felt
When it first saw the light of you.
Afraid of its own beauty,
It always knew it would be taken,
Far from home,
Left to wither, longing for life.

But beauty never saves.

-

If it feels the world,
You are yet to see a heaven.
You may think again.
You may ignore the facts,
You may recall the worldly acts,
But you are yet to see a heaven.

-

/Caption/

-

In a world of countless faces,
None can touch me when he stands beside me.
No voice can silence me,
For his presence shields me.

Twenty-one years I have walked this earth,
And he has been my constant star.
I feast without fear,
I dress like a princess,
I dream of the world as mine,
All because he is there.

When I cried,
He looked at me and made me calm.
When sorrow weighed me down,
He never turned his back.
When I was moody,
He laughed,
And let me set my emotions right.
I am happy,
Because he is there.

I stumbled, I failed,
Yet he never turned away.
With patience, he offered endless chances,
Never mocking, never cruel.
He stood tall, proving the world wrong,
Lifting me when I fell hardest.

He shaped the girl I am today.
No one can dictate my path,
For he gifted me a life of choice,
A freedom rare, a love eternal,
All just because he is there.

-

Without looking up

//Caption//

-

If you choose to kill me,
I will let you.
I won’t run.
But only on one condition—

You must not cover your face.
You must begin from mine.
Start where my eyes meet yours.

Begin with the lips you once kissed,
The cheeks you said you loved to touch.
I will look into your eyes, smiling,
And wait to see if you can go on.

Then move to the hand you held
When you cried.
You must hold it again
If I cry this time.

I want to take you with me till the end,
To the feet that chose to walk toward you.

I’ll let you finish,
But only if you untie
The black thread you tied
To protect me from harm.

And when it’s over,
Look once more to see if I’m truly gone.

Then leave me there,
Without looking back.

If you can do all this,
I will believe
That you loved me enough
To let me die.

-

I lost it all
When I found you.
I had everything you ever needed,
But I reshaped myself to seem more worthy,
To become the best you could choose.
And in the process,
I lost who I truly was.
The words I once poured into those diaries,
I erased them, line by line,
Just to write my name beside yours.
And now,
Do you even like me?
Should I regret it all?
I don’t know.
I don’t want to know
Because crafting my soul all over again
Won’t be so easy this time.

-

If I could,
I would have said it loud
How much it hurts
To think of you,
Smiling to see others fly,
And to make me wonder
If I am doing right.

-