The Guest

The moments of despondency

Mystifying her soul

Whirled its course

Leaving the print of its hushed trails

For him to supervene

Overlooking the scars

The wind blew fading them away

As the years passed like a cupid’s arrow

The abysmal wait for the familiar guest

Continued like an infinite string of memories

Borne out of grief

 Making her young feet tad old

Her fingers, rosy white to pale yellow

She still ardently waited for the knock at her door

Her prudence and composure grew more and more

Hoping for the guest to arrive soon

But time is wild like an untamable fire

Unstoppable, endless like human desires

Time flew like a nonchalant bird

Testing her endurance

As she craved for her twin soul

 But one winter day, she peeped out of the window

Watching the snowflakes dancing in a insouciant way

She had put a hackneyed cassette in the stereo

As she rested on the old rickety arm chair

 Listening to their favourite songs

Reminiscing over the veteran thoughts

Flipping them one by one carefully

Like the pages of an archaic diary

The cold wind rushed through the window

Making the curtains swirl in a monotonous tune

Touching her sagging face

As her soaring hair broke the silence into roars

Oouch it hurt!

Her restless heart complained

“A century passed, still whom are you waiting for?”

Her silver locks glistened in the lamp light

Portraying a surreal resemblance

With the white cloud hung in the sky

A smile escaped through her lips

Chuckling at her heart’s stupidity

She gazed at the sky once again

As her eyes twinkled

Radiating a heavenly radiance

“My death sweet heart! And today my wait will be over.

My beloved soul is waiting beyond this overcast-ted sky”

And she closed her eyes

Drowning every essence of her existence

Into the infinite love she had bore

Her frowning heart got respite

As solemn festivity descended over it

Chuckling all its way

 Beyond the stars !

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The Chest

Trodding the untrodden

Into the darkness of the woods

Into the blues of the skies

I see forests, birds squeaking

As the north wind chills the spine

And across comes the ravine

The road’s hostile, the path futile

As I fall into the gorge

My hope crushed

My spine quashed

Will I survive this fall?

I gather my grit, I show some nerve

I scrape and grind through the stones

I sweat, I cry, I bleed, I wry

Carving the way out, but in vain

What hath god wrought?

That I earned such pain

Will such disparity always reign?

I lose everything but my life

Clinging on like an evil memory

Haunting me as I await the fairy

Far I have come, far shall I go

For I know the end is a glow

I get up, stand up, and find a hovel

Dig through it and forth I trail

A shiny stone maybe

Odds and ends, just worthless scrap

Tons of gilt inside a wrap,

For the world I carved

the treasure chest,

Casting the grave, for me

To rest.

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Broken

 A brutal face-off with the reality

With life’s complexity and unpredictability

My beliefs have shattered into pieces

Pointless are all learnt lessons and past experiences

Lying lifeless on the floor, bloodless

Yet smeared in blood

Because my dreams have been murdered

By the ruthless fate it seems

I have fought for too long

Even though proved wrong

Again and again by my enemy

Who played foul strategy

To mar my dreams

My forlorn face

Losing its grace

My wrinkled feet are the victim of the cruelty

It did on me to show its superiority

I tried till I dropped

Tried till my heart heaved

Till my eyes became too blind to see

Ignoring all my plea

The heavy price my heart paid

All the tears I shed

Still I never stopped chasing my dream

Because it was all I wanted

But now they are just shadows, deeply haunted

 Nobody warned me

 Dreams could be so expensive

So wrong I was to assume

My hard work would bear fruits so extensive

For I learnt it my way

That you bleed to death

If fate takes revenge

For the mistakes you never comprehended

And you are left pondering why everything ended

Now that’s all I can say

I have lost my power to walk

I am like the key with a deadlock

Walked miles without any direction

In sheer hopelessness and desperation

Wherever fate led me

In search of my destination

But it’s a dead end as I can see

This journey seems much longer

Than I thought

Lying on the floor

 My dream has lost its glory

Looking at them I ask myself

“Are they meant to rot”?

Broken and tortured

Like a wingless bird

For whom nobody cared

Caged for an eternity in doubt and fear

Remorseful over her own state

But I refuse to give up

I refuse to surrender

My valor is my hope

My perseverance is my strength

 I am stronger than I think

I will fight

Till I make things right

 Though in pain, not a coward

Though expensive, so invaluable

My dream

I will chase it

Till I breathe and fight with the fate

Until it bows down,

Even if it’s late

And will entitle myself to the victory crown

I will walk even with a crutch

And continue my search

I won’t be at rest

Until I achieve my conquest

I am on the quest for the light

That will motivate me to keep moving

 And dreaming

 Kindling a hope of a better tomorrow

Whose radiance will take away all my sorrows.

 Breaking me free of all my doubts and fear.

And I will smile

And sparkle like a diamond.

Rising high as the time passes by.

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A Clammy Day!

Here it was another day at the college and nothing unusual on sight but not to forget, the unbearable humidity which was screaming its presence every now and then. I remember I had classes in the second half which is, no doubt, not a dream of any student but certainly I couldn't afford to miss my attendance. Any B.Tech student can fairly tell how much importance attendance holds in their lives!

So, at around 2 pm, I forced my lazy self to get out of the bed, putting my much desired afternoon nap to an abrupt end. No matter what the time is, it surely feels jittery to wake up half sleepy.

While getting ready, I peeped through the window; the weather looked, at least shady if not windy! That was okay! (Compared to the last few scorching days which had tortured us to dehydration, perspiration! This was not okay!)

After I got ready, I sat on my bed, switched on the table fan which instantly added to the overall capacity of the ceiling fan and made my room quite cooler than before. I checked my watch as I waited for my roommate to get ready. I was feeling lighter and elated cause after a long time, the weather seemed less itchy! I sighed in relief.

Finally, at 2:15, we left the hostel; luckily found the auto right in front unlike some very unfortunate days when we keep waiting for at least 20 minutes until one shows mercy on us! We reached the university in no time and by then, even though the shady weather was still visible to me but Mr. Wind were still nowhere to be seen. I had begun to feel the cruel perspiration as small drops of sweat found their way on my face which I wiped unceasingly with handkerchief. “Once I reach the class, it would be a relief”, I pondered.

We reached the class, five minutes early and our professor hadn't come yet. A small bunch of boys and girls had already reserved their seats while most of them were vacant. We chose a seat and sat next to the window. But still, I could feel the suffocating atmosphere swallowing me up. A few moments passed and then horrified, I noticed that there was a power cut. “So silly of me that I didn't notice it before” I frowned, disgusted. No power! No fan! A sure hell for the next two hours!

Soon our professor came and began teaching. It was difficult sitting on those newly furnished benches leave alone concentrating on the lectures. I could feel an overwhelming tension building up as the humidity exponentially increased as the lecture progressed. I could see some front benchers trying really hard to concentrate but my mind was completely cloudy and I would rather say asphyxiated! Few girls made fan out of the notebooks including me, our only savior of the moment while some expunged their handkerchiefs over their faces, wiping off the sweat which undoubtedly reappeared again and again.  It was really frustrating to sit in the class feeling so sweaty! God!         I had never experienced so much of humidity in my entire life before. I am sure we all were wishing for the power to come back, at least I was desperately but it was not my day!

First lecture got over and soon the second one started, by then, I felt I would dehydrate alone by sweating so much. An extreme combination of dullness and utter disinterest came over me. Our professor seemed equally uncomfortable, struggling with the extreme humidity.

 I looked around and saw several equally frustrated faces. I was constantly checking the watch as my patience was beginning to sink into the sand of despondency. But my watch seemed to have gone slower or maybe I was just imagining too much. Then out of the blue, a miracle happened!

Our professor began calling out roll numbers for attendance; after which he asked the class representative to shift the class to next week and left the class twenty minutes early! Everyone gave a huge sigh of relief as we all hopped out of the class just like a bird freed out of the cage. It was not a memorable day but surely an unforgettable and itchy experience!

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A Bittersweet Story

'Wake Up! You have a train to catch.' Mum was furiously trying to wake me up as I had prepared myself to board the train to Burla, my address for the four succeeding years. We had our final counseling on the following day and dad wanted to visit the place a day in advance so we could explore the campus a little more. We were all set with our documents ready. We boarded the Bolangir bound Intercity at Bhubaneswar and with our destination set at Hirakud, a place I had never been before my entire life. Although pretty thrilled, I was equally panicky and fidgety out of the anticipations I had from the land that was alien to me. I tried reading and gathering all info I could about the university and the location on Wiki before deciding to sign up for it. Dad had a friend who worked at MCL in Burla, who very generously had a place booked for us at the Guest House in its company headquarters. Lush green lawns and flower gardens, tennis courts, a golf course, concrete structures painted in white, and not to forget, a helipad. This is the Burla that welcomed me the day I landed there. We were provided a well-furnished air conditioned room that was facing the Mahanadi and delicious food for our halt at the guest house. I was literally in heaven. After wining and dining like kings, we headed to the Sir Visweswaraya Auditorium at VSSUT for the counseling process to begin the following morning.

Indeed a sleepy town. Well, not technically a town but a Notified Area Council, Burla is amidst nature’s bounties. I was introduced to the Power Channel, The Laxmi Dugul Hills and the world renowned Hirakud Dam that morning. I took pride in studying in a land this historic and without a doubt, so picturesque. It took a meager 5 minutes to reach the campus where this colossal granite built gate welcomed us into the University. I had expected the auditorium to be some centralized air conditioned hall. When we finally entered the auditorium, a flight of pigeons went rushing past the roof of this old and faded structure. While sitting, I watched over the ceiling fans that were oddly fitted on the walls at a weird 45 degree angle. Not everything that I had presumed about the university was turning out to be true. It was a little blow to my conscience. But then I don’t easily lose hope. After finishing the counseling formalities, we went looking for the hostels. We then, found Marichi, the first year’s residence and entered the hostel. We saw the rooms that were a little congested. There was some concrete sagging from the roof in one of the rooms. The rooms had accommodated 5 students that were originally designed for 3. Adding to the horror, the seats had increased exponentially that year which forecasted the hostels to be even more jammed. That was definitely some reason to worry.

We had the train back to Bhubaneswar scheduled at 4pm, which gave us some time to explore the market at Burla. There was a strike in Burla that day and most of the shops were forced shut. The auto rickshaw driver tricked us and robbed 40 rupees for the ride to the market from the campus. The atrocities of the place were not helping my edgy state of mind and were making it worse. We didn’t find certain things that we looked for in the market. The thing that kept ringing in my head was “What is this place?” On the ride back I noticed, there were not too many shops nearby the campus which made it grim. This was definitely not the Burla that had welcomed me the previous day. On the way back, I nearly choked and stopped talking to dad which worried him as he wanted me to opt for VSSUT rather than Delhi University. I quizzed myself for taking the decision and never wanted to return here ever again for life. I wished the day was just a nightmare and hoped I could just disremember it.

Little did I know that I would have the time of my life at the very same place that I had condemned the first time. I was oblivious of the adventures that awaited me and the fun I still have at this beautiful abode. Instead of being a crybaby and judging the book by its cover, I could have taken it easy. It was a shear miscalculation. But then, to err is human and there are good days and there are bad, it must have been a bad day when I look back. As far as Burla is considered, fast forward 24 months, it’s my beautiful home and I’m in love with this place. The people here are warm and hospitable and the language Kosli really sweet. Moreover it is the bitter-sweet memories and the times spent with friends that I will cherish for a lifetime. Though not love at first sight, it was love that grew eventually and would forever be a part of my life, my soul.

For the land of Koshal (Progress) :  

“Mate Burla Jaha Bhal Lagsi”- “I immeasurably love Burla”

**To be continued

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The Twisted Tale

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Aurilia in a land far away. It was a disputed kingdom because of its rich flora and fauna. The rulers of the neighboring states sought after overthrowing the kingdom. George, the king of Aurilia was sagacious. George was warm and giving in his younger days. He was valiant as a soldier when he served in the army. He ranked up to the commander in chief in the army prior to becoming the king. He was known for his astute decisions, and served his people as the able leader of Aurilia. He had gained the trust of the people over time and everyone venerated him, although he had been ailing lately and the kingdom lacked good governance. He married princess Matilda of Vieria, the kingdom he had conquered when he was young. Matilda was the princess of Vieria which was a small kingdom to the west of Aurilia. Matilda and George fell in love and married really young. Queen Matilda had many miscarriages before she gave birth to Princess Angela. Shortly after giving birth to the princess, the queen died of a prolonging Pneumonia.

 Angela was really attractive and had long auburn locks of hair, like the queen. She had been extremely intellectual since her childhood. She was prodigious in her studies and had a way with calculations. She was also equally artistic being an awe-inspiring writer and a marvelous painter. She used to paint pictures that portrayed the lives of people in Aurilia. She assisted her father in ruling the kingdom and made vital judgments as the king had become too gullible over matters that needed critical resolutions. There had been a lot of con-men in his ministry who paved the way for thieves and tricksters to steal the kingly coffers. His kingdom was dying a slow death, and George couldn’t bear with it. The king had Princess Angela as his only child and thus, no son who could be heir to the throne. So, the king decided on looking for prospective suitors, who would marry her daughter and become the king.

He asked for the princess’ acquiescence and she gave her nod regarding the marriage. However, she had a set of clauses for the would-be king. The first clause being, the man would be the wisest of all, the second; most courageous and selfless; and the third being loyal and compassionate to his kingdom and the princess. Over the subsequent months there was a stringent assessment of the potential suitors who were tested on the basis of their knowledge, understanding, wisdom and courage. After a period of six months, the princess had narrowed her choice to two men called John and Joseph who had passed the tests on all accounts. The princess went to her father and wanted her father to take the final test for selecting the king. The king was honored and amazed at his daughter’s pronouncement which assured him of the values that the princess had inherited. The king asked the two brave men to come up to his court the following day where the final decision was supposed to be made.

On the following day, the king announced before John and Joseph that he was not interested in proceeding with the marriage and was utterly disappointed with the two men. Both John and Joseph were taken aback by the king’s remarks. The king then claimed that, however, for the throne, a compromise could be made. This made the eyes of the men gleam as they kept their hopes high. Both John and Joseph had proven to be equally strong, fearless and desirable. The king’s compromise was that he wouldn’t want to give his daughter away, and offered both the men swords to slice the princess’ body into equal halves, so the king could keep one half and offer the man the other half. With this, John said that he would be unable to do so as he was only human and refused to contest further. Listening to this, Joseph went rushing past the stairs up to slay the princess. The king immediately ordered the guards to take Joseph away to the prison. George had verified the true intent of both the men.

Ambition clouded Joseph’s judgment and he became egocentric. All he wanted to triumph was the throne, even at the cost of the princess’ life. Such a man would not only be lethal for Aurilia but equally dreadful for the humanity. George declared John to be the future king of Aurilia. George died a peaceful death. The princess married John, and he became the king. He was revered by one and all and governed his kingdom as a prudent, generous and devoted king. He put the perpetrators behind bars and the kingdom bared fruit again as it started generating revenues and refilling the coffers. Aurilia regained its lost glory and was a blissful abode to live in. George looked over from heaven and blessed John and Angela a lifetime of togetherness and joy.

THE END

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The Forsaken Soul

She wandered through the untrodden path

Not a coward but surely perplexed she was

Juggling through billions of thoughts screaming inside her mind

She pondered over the past

Looking at the familiar people, searching for a frozen lie

Time was her only healer,

A benevolent care taker

From the witching hour till the daybreak

She kept gazing at moonlit sky

Sitting on her window side

The world seemed judgmental of her lunatic thoughts

An obscure absurdity all she was

But no one knew silver lined her hazy heart was

Yet she tramped alone

Dodging prying eyes of all

She stayed within the glazed tinted walls

Away from the dispensable crowd

Solitude was her only freedom

An amicable reunion of her soul and character

Nevertheless, every night, sitting under the moonlight

Looking at the bewitching sky

All her fears and doubts would be gone

Conquered by soothing silence,

It bestows

Letting the magic of the night flow

Till pale moon blurs away

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Mixed Moments !

I was lying awake on my bed as the waves of anticipation engulfed me, making me tensed and thrilled at the same time. The college was gonna start within a couple of days and this was going to be my last day or precisely last night at home. It was kinda overwhelming. I had spend one of the best times of my life, wrapped around with the in numerous strings of memories, this summer and it did succeed in convincing me for a moment that it would be for a long time. But then as I was lying on my cozy bed with my favourite pillow, comforted by the familiar surrounding, it dawned upon me that nothing stays for a long time, no matter how hard you try to hold on to them. They might be the old scars you are holding on to or the happy times, ultimately, they become just memories. It solely depends on you which one you wanna keep with you.

After tossing and turning for a long while, I finally won over the evil insomnia. As people say or as I have believed, new morning brings new hopes, new emotions and thus there I was feeling this extreme bounding home sickness as I got ready to catch my train, my mom had cooked my favourite breakfast making my urge of staying at home longer a little stronger. But a girl does what she has got to do. So, daddy and I got into the car after loading my jumbo bag (No matter how small or big my bag would be when I go home, it always become double the size while I am returning to Hostel, Thanks! Mom J ).

It was raining so heavily as our car drove past the hundreds of trucks and buses we came across. The weather looked forlorn, making the atmosphere dull as if it was mourning over some loss. A moment of silence passed and then daddy and I began discussing and joking about some old treasured incidents till we reached the station. Now, my anticipation was further aggravated as the excitement to meet my friends began taking over. After ten minutes, my train arrived and not to mention how comfortable it was to board the train with my jumbo bag!

After a little hassle, I found my seat, placed my bag safely on its place and there I saw my friends, smiling and waving at me. Right that moment, all my doubts and fears were gone. Though a tinge of excitement still was tingling inside me. The rest of the journey was a blend of fun and soothing comfort.  Finally when we reached our beloved destination, Burla; it hit me that this wasn’t the end, the journey had just begun! 

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The Dark Governess

Dark she was, obscure as a labyrinth,

Some chased her, she chased some.

A mystery, an enigma, she kept by herself,

Not a soul realized her true self.

Alone and petrified, cursed as evil,

She enunciated but the truth.

Timeless she stood, Boundless she stood,

Relentlessly gazing an unblinking stare.

For the light is just an illusion, she sued,

Darkness the face unmasked.

Her embrace so forgiving,

Singing a melodious lullaby,

Hushing us into a dim forever.

She sees no form, sans shape she is,

She’s a silhouette in our dreams.

Calling upon us, on a journey

Our final expedition to the lights,

She’s the end, our death.

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Window of the Soul

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The unfamiliar generosity!

I looked at the sky as we entered the hospital. I noticed the cloudy turmoil had begun. Maybe the initial signs of an impending storm. My sister waited in the reception hall as my mother and I went to bring my reports. Once we got the reports, we went to see the doctor. A postural neck injury it was, the reason of my painful sleepless nights. Doctor wrote handful medicines and told me to visit the physiotherapist before handing over the prescription. All the agony of the last 7 days came rushing into my mind. It was excrutiating indeed. An unceasing back breaking pain, vanquishing enough to remould me into a wooden puppet.

After we took the prescribed medicines from the indoor medicine shop, we headed towards the physiotherapy section. But only if we could find it! The three storied hospital, expanded over a vast area, is a gigantic structure in itself. To add to our misery, despite the organized, well plated designations and directions for every section; the puzzling countable entries, in numerous exits, bewildering glazed doors on every corridor had left us perplexed and exhausted. I looked through one of the windows as we were walking through another cloned corridor, walls smudged with pale yellow paint just like the previous one. I found the shady clouds had gathered, shading the sky carefully with black. The down pour had just begun with wind howling in its full swing. “We have to find the section soon before the storm hits” my sister said.

After struggling for another 20 minutes and no success, we had given upon finding it. This time we had reached the exit door of the hospital and that marked the end of our struggle with no success. Disappointed, we turned and headed towards the reception hall. Right then, a lady stopped us. She looked in her 50s with shades of grey peeping through her hair. She was holding a mop soaked in with disinfectant and an empty bucket. “What are you searching?” She inquired. “We were searching Physiotherapy section but couldn't find it”, my mom replied.

The lady smiled and motioned us to follow her. We walked behind her and just after few left and right turns; we saw a big green board with “Physiotherapy “written in bold letters on it. We gave a huge sigh of relief. Before mom could express her gratitude, the lady had already vanished into thin air. No wonder she was indeed a savior for us, an epitome of kindness.

Since childhood, every time we see a stranger, our mom would say “Never talk to strangers. They can be dangerous” and no doubt that is an important advice every child should heed to. So, even after we grow up, we have this satanic image of strangers presumably set in our minds, irrespective of the situation. But today I learnt something new. Not all strangers are bad. Not every time. The lady could have chosen not to help us. Helping the patients for directions was not her job. She won’t be getting paid for that but she chose to help and sow another seed of kindness in this world of apathy.

With crime at its heights, we don’t trust the people around us let alone strangers. This increasing distrust and fear had turned us into apathetic souls. Blinded by evil and sinister thoughts, we look at the world with our vicious eyes. We have no credence in humanity, thus explaining our kinship with strangers. But instances like these make me believe in humanity again who take human virtues a step ahead every time they come across a troubled soul.

This got me thinking world will be much a better place if all of us continue this noble legacy towards kindness, towards humanity! A little faith can do wonders and push the human race forward. What do you say? :)

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The Nightfall

Darker the night,

Mightier it fights

To push away the stars

From shining bright

Engulfing every inch

Of their power

Till the end of the hour

Before the dawn

Erasing the faint line

Between truth and a lie

Yet certain truths never die

Nothing is left to discover

When everyone betrays you

 Even the one on the mirror

You try to escape

From the terror of the past

But clever as it seems

It follows your trails

Till life within you last

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Zeroes and Ones(The Binary Life)

The world roughly comprises of two kinds of individuals, good and evil. Whether they are good or evil is purely relative. The same person could be good for someone and evil for someone else. It’s like the binary digital code. Theoretically, everything that we see, listen to or perceive today on any electronic device fundamentally comprises of Zeroes and Ones. Such generalization can sound a bit preposterous but when simplified, it’s factual enough to believe. Imagine the world as a device and the people on it as the zeroes and ones used in the code. Assume, the zeroes are evil people and the ones are good people. For the device to function without flaws there needs to be a set of zeroes and ones in its code. The code is our human life. Just like the code, there needs to be a right proportion of good and evil people in everyone’s life.

Now we feel, evil people in our lives create nuisance and pull us back in every step. They literally suck life out of our souls and leave us feeling disoriented and traumatized. They create a void in our lives. Too many bad people in our life can cause catastrophic impairment to us and above all leave us harassed emotionally. We vilify them to satisfy our soul and sometimes plan to avenge for the irrevocable harm that they have caused us. Vengeance is the purest of all emotions. Vengeance isn’t bad after all; it’s just the necessary evil. The pain that the ruthless people cause us can make us stand up and prove ourselves, if we learn to channelize our energy. This is how pain is well avenged. However the pain that’s not taken care of doesn’t heal and causes us real damage.

On the contrary, the good people in our lives are the reason our lives are bright. They push us towards accomplishing our goals and make us shine like a full moon in a starlit sky. They radiate their energies and we resonate those energies to benefit from partnerships with them. They share their goodwill and love with others and make us feel safer in their company. They are the ‘ones’ in our lives. They fill our voids and pave our way into the future. Fewer in number as compared to the ‘zeroes’, they usually come into our lives as family, friends or soul mates. They are gems in our lives and we need to value them and keep them by our side in times of distress and good health.

Our thoughts and deeds on the other hand are also akin with the people in our lives. They could either be ‘zeroes’ or ‘ones’. It is necessary on our part to strike a balance amongst all the good and evil in our life. We must learn to value all the elements regardless of their nature. This is what the law of equilibrium teaches us. Only when we assess the ‘zeroes’ and ‘ones’, we will be able to carve a niche for ourselves. Only then we can troubleshoot the code of our life and make it bug free.

“Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil”- Marcus Aurelius 

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A story!

 Every person has a story

 A story of you.

 A story of me.

 A story of how the forgettable childhood passed

 How the imprints of some unforgettable moments still last

A story of the bygone eras

A tale of yesterday’s scars

An untold secret of a grieving heart

A happy tragedy born out of dilemmas

A story of what could have been said

 How spoken words shattered to remnants

A story wiped out of the slate

How the insomniac tragedy remains

 A story of a 3 pounds fighter

A battle for life as demons crawls for survival

A winning battle

Restoring the dwindling faith

Thousand faces, million stories

A story of you

A story of me

Some passed through generations

Some left unsaid

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