Resolve

I read, I watch,

I hear windows break,

doors break, and skulls too.

My own window is intact;

my door is safely locked.

Yet the tremors of shattering glass

Wring my gut.

The ogre sits to my right

Pulls me towards it

and screeches loudly

in my ear, “I am right”.

It shows me fractured facts,

manufactured proofs,

and mocks me.

“Do you even know?”

Do I even know?

I ask myself too.

Here they scream black

There they mum white.

The ogre speaks

It voices thoughts

But they are not mine.
Not anymore.

New seeds are sown

I have a mind of my own

My grasp new, grit still raw.

But I am free.

I will start small

I will read, I will speak.

I won’t let the ogre make me weak.

Author Bio
Aditi Bachhawat is a a work-in-progress human being who loves to read books, drink coffee, hug trees, and talk to stars. She tries to write poetry and non-fiction pieces which can be found on her Instagram account. Other times, she juggles life as a finance professional and a homemaker.

Redefining Nationhood
For Indian writers writing in English, this is a tumultuous time to be alive. Politically and culturally speaking, a lot is happening in our nation today. And these posts are our attempt to decipher, understand, and explore the concept of nationhood. Our writing is a celebration of what it means to belong to a nation that is as diverse and pluralistic as India is. And in this attempt, if we persuade people away from propaganda, we might have just created literature.
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