fledgling

The afternoon break. The silent whispers would erupt into bustling conversations and laughter, with the occasional clang of metal snack boxes and desks that take on the roles of cajons for those happy fifteen minutes.  Then the voices recede to a distant blur, then to a serene silence. Some fidget with the uncomfortable emptiness. Yet, it is those quiet, delicious moments spent staring into the depths of my soulmate, that I truly long for. He is not perfect, but rather beautifully flawed.  One could never spot him on the shelves of those perfectly lit, fancy bookstores. He is not one carefully clothed in expensive black rayon and gold prints, or stitched with smooth, pearl white pages that would make any writer go weak in the knees. The edges of his paper cover are worn to mere fibres, with occasional smears of ink from moments when I was buried deep in my thoughts and let the pen go from making rhythmic taps, to weeping through the pages.  He was the shadow I carried along wherever I

I  could not even make out the sign of the camp I was approaching. My warm breath rose and misted my eye-gear, as I heaved my way up the terrain. It reminded me of the dew-kissed, rusted window by the old fireplace, casting its soft light on the soot-streaked wall. The smell of fresh, crackling firewood and nutmeg. The crisp, cold sheets brushing against my skin as I tuck into bed with a warm bowl of my favourite memories. Another bone-chilling plume swept me from the short-lived warmth back to reality. Here I was, braving one of nature’s most feared sides, trying hard to keep my human warmth intact while the unimaginable cold continues to wage a war against me. My hourly GPS readings scares yet soothes, gazing at the tiny dot I see in a vast sea of white nothingness.  Now, it’s just me and nature, a one-on-one conversation these heights are witnessing for the first time. With every trudge and heave I realise, that this is the journey of my life and the hardest test my body and mind wi

This year crashed on me like colourful confetti, like a breath of fresh air I was exhausted, yet happy and satisfied But the sheen slowly wore off, and the designs Of fate made themselves known. This year found new ways to break my heart. I was battered by the whirlwind of pain, Grief, that this year happily presented to me. I mourned the loss of a loved one; of a relationship I had Long outgrown; and if that wasn’t enough, My body and soul were tired of fighting viruses, toxic people, uncomfortable glances This year also saw me rise up against every Wave. Every injustice. I gathered meaning in courage, to stand up for  Myself, and every hurt soul. I fought against In a cacophonous world as this, I was Trying to make an identity for myself Figure out who I was, who I wanted to be. I tried to find where I fit in this magnificent puzzle, Or rather not fit. Inspired by Twenty Nineteen by Lang Leav