An evocative poem by Shernaz about individuals who find themselves directionless and isolated in a concrete jungle, grappling with unresolved inner conflicts, exclusively for Different Truths.

I: wandering in a concrete jungle
   directionless, frightened, stumbling
      in search of obliterated destinations

They: the ones I wanted to appease…
    for applause and accolades
      are now blind to my isolation

 That little girl in pigtails: I once knew her

she runs behind me
heckling, gesturing...
her mocking laughter
cackles out of the murk I am stuck in

I pick a stone, fling it. She boos, then vanishes.
   I feel abandoned. Strange!

The girl with pigtails: she had great aspirations
.
rainbows collapse in my eyes ~
vitreous floaters
now refract vision
    throwing up phantom images…

I flounder. Bits of unresolved conundrums
form an intricate maze to trap me
    Is this a wasteland of the inner being?
 
I awaken from the edge of a defining dream!

Picture design Anumita Roy

Shernaz Wadia

To Shernaz Wadia, reading and writing poems has been one of the means to embark on an inward journey. She hopes her words will bring peace, hope and light into dark corners. Her poems have been published in many e-journals and anthologies. She has published her own book of poems "Whispers of the Soul" and another titled "Tapestry Poetry - A Fusion of Two Minds" with her poetry partner Avril Meallem.

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