Past Poem by Vrinda Sharma

Past
such a small word, or so it seems
but not for those who bore its true weight
Time flowed on, like the cool winter breeze
So my naïve mind thought I mustn't remember it.
And yes it's true
I had buried these memories along with countless others in a darkened corner of my consciousness.
It keeps the gloomiest parts of me even when my face shows no shades of blue

I know it's trying to shield me
For It knows I trust too easily and give more than I should.
So it reminds me time and time again
Of the apologies made and promises in vain that were never kept
Of the daggers thrown and the bruises left
That the one who healed them was none other than the one I see when I look at myself


It paints a dreadful picture in my head
Of a young, wide-eyed girl who was ever so trusting
The night her wings were clipped by those who claimed to care
A fairytale turned to horror and the little girl was no longer as they had once known
Her gardens grew thorns and sunlight feared to enter her solemn abode
She had built castles around her and drank from the river of tears she had once shed
A million stones were thrown at people who crossed her fences
for she feared they carried arrows hidden in their vests.

So years went by and seasons changed
People stopped coming and the hinges of her door rusted with longing
"What a witch, " they murmured, deceived by the façade she wore.
"This solitude is what I craved" she whispered to herself
As the moonlight became the sole witness of the pearls her eyes shed night after night for several years ahead