By: Vaisakh E. Hari

Sitting on a cliff overlooking a meadow,
I am suffocated by the chain forged by myself,
deep in the insecurities of my mind.
The price of my safety weighing heavily on my limbs,
a painful reminder of the harsh realities of the world.
Day after day i sat on the same cliff,
the meadow calling out in haunting tones,
its sweet seductive symphony still ringing in my head.
But already i had traded in my freedom for fear of the unknown,
and the chain remaining as strong as the fear clutching at my heart.
Already the sky seemed to grow dark like the end of a carnival,
the happy families flying back to their nests to retire for the night.
The crescent moon appeared alongside the evening star,
gazing into each others eyes like two lovers long separated,
uniting in the darkness beyond, their love story still untold.
For us, the sun symbolized fresh hope and a reminder of unrealized dreams,
for them a heartless tyrant without love or mercy, a harsh reminder
that nothing can symbolize complete purity and goodness in this world.
In front of me i was seeing eternal and unblemished love,
death and rebirth everyday just for a glimpse of what they love,
making me realize the most important thing in life,
nothing remains forever, and the way you die does
not matter as long as you can remember with a smile the way you lived.
The chains now disappeared with not a trace left,
and the meadows started burning by itself and I just knew somehow
that just as the skies reflected my pain the meadow was my fear,
something exquisitely dark and beautiful at the same time.
Standing upon the edge of the cliffs i gazed upon the burning plains,
feeling like a conquering emperor with the world at his feet.
As the first rays of the sun burned through the sky,
I conveyed a silent yet heartfelt gratitude to the two lovers
because this was where it all really began.