you’re not your fake smiles,
or the old scars that trouble you;
instead you’re all your good hair days,
and your obsession to dye that one strand blue.
you’re not the tears that you’ll hide,
or the battles that you quieten down;
instead you are defined by that wide grin of yours,
when you feel every smile after the frown.
you’re not your quiet introvert days,
or the times when you choose earphones over people,
instead you’re all those small things that
make your heart smile, however mundane or simple.
so you see, you’re not the days that cloud your mind
or the stormy nights when it pours hard,
you’re those days when you chase sunshine,
and hustle hard to make your mark among the stars.

-mugdha

you know you’re poetry in motion, don’t you?
the way you twinkle your eyes when thoughts rush anew,
the way your hair softly caresses your face,
the way your face grows older, silently through the days.
I hope you know that you’re a poet’s raw muse,
that which strikes in the middle of the night –
And on days when you need it the most,
I hope that you’re reminded that you are a ray of light.
I hope you know its heartwarming-
the will with you yearn to fly;
the childlike excitement on your face that shows up,
each time you see a rainbow in the sky.
I hope you know that you’re poetry,
even if you’re a bunch of tangled thoughts;
even in slow moments when you feel low
and even on days when you can’t connect the dots.
so you see, you’re like words on parchment paper,
that flow effortlessly like cold clear streams,
you’re the tiny light of the sequined stars,
you are your wildest, boldest dreams.
and how I hope that on days when its hard,
when there’s too much clutter on the shelf,
you have someone around who tells you that;
every version of you is a living verse in itself.

-mugdha

Writing a long poem after a long time feels so good! This time I have used a different style, rather I’ve written this poem as a combination of the narrative as well as metaphorical style of writing. The girl in the poem symbolises each one of us and highlights how it is in human nature to get confused when you encounter an out-of-the-blue problem. But ultimately, what matters the most is not how befuddled you are, but how you overcome your problem by having faith, hope and the will to rise above the barrier. The quote ‘May the fireflies follow you where the butterflies do not’ inspired me to write this poem. So, read on!

Blue skies above her,
Springy grass beneath her toes,
Butterflies playing around,
Surrounded by lush green meadows.

Her heart grinning broadly,
No trace of any turmoil,
Sunshine kissing her beautiful face,
As she trode on the soft soil.

With butterflies leading her way,
And fluffy clouds overhead,
What could possibly go wrong?
Was all that her heart said.

But as she savoured her Dreamland,
The sun started sinking down,
And the smile that played on her lips,
Was suddenly replaced by a frown.

Gone were the butterflies,
Each rushed back to its home,
And this young, confused girl,
Was stranded all alone.

As the last rays of the sun,
Bid the earth adieu,
She was caught up in a frenzy,
Now what could she do?

Not a soul to guide her,
Pitch darkness all around,
But then quite suddenly, out of the blue
Her ears picked up a familiar sound.

Cautiously and carefully,
Yet stumbling all along,
She led herself in the darkness,
In pursuit of the song.

The spectacle in front of her eyes,
Made her cry aloud with happiness,
For she saw fireflies a hundred,
Who could guide her out of this mess.

With those small, alluring creatures,
The path ahead was bright,
All that she had to do,
Was to follow the light.

Slowly and steadily,
She figured her way out,
Her trust in those lights of hope,
Left no place for any doubt.

And then at a long last,
Her home drew near,
Her heart could have sang loudly,
Gone was all her fear.

How she marveled at the beauty,
Of these tiny, little beings,
But this escapade of hers,
Had taught her countless small things.

She learnt that life
Couldn’t be all about sunshine,
But however dark the night may be,
Things were bound to be fine.

She learnt the importance of
Being hopeful in life,
And so, she learnt one million lessons,
From those enchanting fireflies.

-Mugdha Deshpande