Borrowed pain
Published in
May 7, 2022
On days when grief becomes a lump,
At the base of your throat,
Refusing to get dislodged,
Stuck, neither moving up nor down,
And relief refuses to arrive as tears,
You rely on empathy to borrow pain,
Even if fictitious,
A loan for a temporary but a hopeful release,
Ends in vain with an addendum
Of disappointment at the inner lining of your stomach.
Eyelids wide open, twitching away at less slept nights,
Body begs rest,
Brain denies compliance,
An impasse settles as night starts a conference
With grief, helplessness, disappointment and sleep deprivation in attendance,
And consciousness of self — the sole absentee.
© Chandni M 2022
