Burn (Part 1)

Pain.

It seared over every inch of my body, tongues of white hot flame licking my charred skin.

It's okay. This was my choice. This was what I chose. There's no going back now.

***

I remembered that pleasant spring morning when I was working in the caves just east of the old Brahmaputra river. My work as a paleontologist required me to spend most of my day in the dark, excavating ruins and underground passages, stuff like that. But that day, I discovered something that set in motion a series of events that eventually led to my death.

I found an inscription on a moss covered wall. It wasn't just any inscription though. It was a story, followed by an instruction.

When translated into English, it read:

The Bhavishya tribe of the Himalayas was a group of peaceful nomads with a power many seeked and wished to exploit. The people born into this tribe had special eyes- orbs in which one can see the entire universe! Stars, planets, vast expanses of space and the heavens. But that was not all. The Bhavishyas could see the future. They have made many predictions and not a single one has ever been wrong. With their eyes, they have been able to find the safest place to camp in the treacherous Himalaya mountains and have moved their tribe well ahead of dangers such as avalanches and attacks by animals and enemies. 

In the year X992 however, the tribe was attacked by a king. King Sadhaka, a great emperor, had wanted to know the future and everything related to him, his kingdom and his fortune. He came to the Bhavishyas to learn what was in store for him, with the intention of changing anything unfavorable to him. The Bhavishyas however declined King Sadhaka's request and asked him to leave. The tribe knew very well that altering the course of time will cause many problems if done successfully (it was not an easy feat; the universe does not allow the predetermined events of time to change) and for this reason they rarely publicized their visions for the grave danger he could put himself in through his knowledge of the predictions of the future. King Sadhaka, not understanding these intentions, stormed away, seeking revenge.  

The Bhavishyas knew King Sadhaka would return with a vast army to capture them and make them tell the future. The tribe cleverly migrated from one place to another, sometimes just missing the King's army, hiding in caves and ridges and snowy peaks. Slowly they moved down the mountain range and along the banks of the Brahmaputra. It was along this course that they found a deep, dark cave in which they realized their ancestors had once lived, thousands of years ago. Here, they found an inscription that indicated their ancestors had foreseen these events with King Sadhaka. They had written on the walls of the cave that the Bhavishya tribe will come back to this cave one day, fleeing an angry king, but they cannot escape. Soon one of them will be caught and time itself will change. Tragedy after tragedy will shake the world and the universe along with it by the King's actions. The only way to escape that... was total annihilation of the tribe.

The Bhavishyas, knowing full well what needs to be done, decided to jump into the arms of the Brahmaputra river to protect their clan's secrets. 

I, however, a young girl named Ishara, saw something in the future that I think needs to be known. I have broken away from the rest of the tribe, travelling deeper and deeper into this cave where none of my clan members can see, till at this spot I write the story of my tribe, my family, and warn the world of something. I saw five million years into the future. I saw the world ending. An asteroid the size of the ninth planet from the sun, Pluto, will enter the sun's orbit and hurtle straight towards Earth almost at the speed of light. It will crash into Earth and the planet will be engulfed in fire, tsunamis, and earthquakes. The earth will crumble and fall apart, parts breaking into space and the rest dissolving into the fire in its core. I believe the beings on this planet can be saved. Humans, animals, plants, birds, fish...

I foresee someone will one day come and read what I am writing now. I will die in the Brahmaputra tomorrow at dawn, but those of you in the future can be saved if you know this. Five million years from X992, on the summer solstice, the world will end. I know you will have the means to save yourself if you have the knowledge.

Whoever is reading this, tell the world. Only you can save them all now.

I rushed out and told my team. Within a week, the whole world knew. Now we had to build the spaceships to carry all the inhabitants of Earth. We had ten years left. Not a lot of time, really, because we needed to find an alternate planet.

There was a frenzy among the people, of course. Fear spread like wildfire across the globe. But we were technologically advanced enough to know how to build the spacecraft we needed.

Our problem was finding a new home for us.

I went back to the caves, to the spot where Ishara had written her story, and there in one corner I saw something I didn't see before. A hole. So I pit my hand in that hole and my fingers touch a stone tablet.

***

Hey! This is the first part of a new story I've started writing, and I'll write the next part soon. I hope you like it!

Please do tell me what you think in the comments!!!

Fallen Tree

This is one of my 'spontaneous' poems.

 

I got the idea for this poem one afternoon on the bus ride home from school. I was staring out the window, just thinking, when the bus stopped at a place and right outside my window was a fallen tree just lying there on the roadside. I was staring at it for a few seconds and out of nowhere the lines for this poem came up! Of course, these aren't the exact lines I thought of then. By the time I got home, those precise words were forgotten. But the idea was still there, so I sat down and wrote from what I remembered.

 

FALLEN TREE:

Once so tall you stood

O’er my head.

Now you lie in my path,

Dead, fallen.

I trace the cracks along your body

Wondering what a shame it is

That something so majestic

Could become a state like this.

Your age old brown

Was once heart warming

And gave me hope

Each every morning.

Now I eye your

Ashen figure

Searching for life,

Some hope or other.

What cut you down

Was not a storm

‘Twas nature’s own

Demon born.

Then humans that had

Cut you down

Pushed you till you fell

And now

As creation’s greatest mistake,

They plunder through your home

And take your friends and family down.

Oh fallen! You are not alone!

I search, frantic, for any sign,

A little hope, not much.

Alas, your rotten, muddy bark

Lies abandoned and as such.

Then I see it, tiny details.

Ah! To some, you’re still a home!

To ants and squirrels and such

Nothing is lost to bemoan.

And lying across my path

You now bring me a little joy,

For even as a fallen tree

Your helpfulness isn’t destroyed.

 

 

I feel this poem has an important message to convey. About life, death, and hope. But more importantly, the last two stanzas indicate that the tree, though dead and forgotten by humans, was not abandoned by the little creatures that still need it. The dead bark was still of use.

 

We humans should learn from trees. Actually, not just trees. We need to learn from nature. There are valuable traits we can afford to accommodate into our daily lives. And all it takes is a little observance. Take a moment to understand how the universe works. Take a moment and observe its beauty.

 

I guarantee you it's worth it.

Oh, Heart, Why?

This is one of my favorite poems, among the ones I've written. (Yes, I have favorites of my own poetry.)

That one guy you like so much, knowing he'll never like you back.

That one guy who you fell too hard for, a one sided love that you knew was bad from the start.
And you still hope, and you still feel sad.

You analyze everything about yourself, trying to find what it is you don't have, and you torture yourself every night with the decision to still hold on to that nonexistent sliver of hope.

You're a hypocrite because if your friend were in this situation you would tell her to move on, but you yourself cannot follow that.

You rate yourself based off your flaws and all your faults that keep adding up. List of embarrassing moments? Ever increasing. So how could he, the epitome of perfection in all his imperfection, like someone like you?

And yet, no matter how many mornings you resolve to stop caring about him, your heart does not listen. It jumps and flutters at his sight, and then it drops, weighed down by sadness.

The voices in your head whisper "You're a fool!" and you feel the pangs of despair.

OH, HEART, WHY?

I see him and my heart,
It flutters.
It jumps, it flutters,
And then it drops.
It drops,
Realizing for the umpteenth time
That this wonderful guy,
He’ll never be mine.
And I stand heartbroken and sad,
I stand there critiquing myself,
For who could love a girl like me,
As far from flawless as one can be?
Who else would know
What’s wrong and right
And still choose a path of regret
Every night?
Who would try to convince herself
Of opposite theories at the same time?
Who else could be
A bigger hypocrite?
I should hate, but I care still more
And I know this will hurt me more and more.
Because while my mind wisely says “move on”,
My stupid heart strongly still holds on.
And when I see him
My heart jumps and flutters
For a brief moment before
Growing as heavy as boulders
And dropping, killing me slowly from inside…
Oh, heart, why oh why oh why?


You know he'll never be yours, and it's better, healthier, for you to stop caring. But no matter how much our mind wisely lectures us, our foolish hearts will betray and continue to long and pine for him.

No, you'll never get over him. Oh, heart, why?


 

Keeping Your Promises

HEADS UP, THIS IS A RANT POST.

Robert Frost said,
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep

Well, at least SOMEONE knows how to keep their promises.

Let's be PERFECTLY clear on what it means to make a promise.
It is an OATH. It is an Unbreakable Vow. It is a 'cross my heart and hope to die' pact made which gains the trust of the other person.

And it is a universal rule that unless there is no other choice, you do NOT. Break. Promises!

And I for one think that promises should be kept. Promises should be made your TOP PRIORITY.

This includes promises you've made to your friends, your enemies, your teachers, colleagues, just random people you know, children, adults, and yourself!

And today we live in a world full of 'white lies' and fake promises. People are using the term "Don't worry, I'll do it. I promise." WAY TOO OFTEN. It's being flung and thrown around like it's nothing, like it doesn't mean anything.

Well I have something to say about that.
  
If you can't keep a promise, don't make it! Because chances are the other person is counting on you to do what you must and hold up your end of the rope. I don't care if you just said to make that person feel better or to get them off your back. No, you make a promise, you stick to it!

Promises to other people:

"I'll get you a present later, I promise."
"I'll finish up the project, I promise."
"I'll buy you the biggest chocolate there is if you behave. I promise."
"I'll stay here. I'll never leave. I promise!"
"I won't tell anyone. I'll keep it a secret, I promise."
"I'll keep in touch, I promise!"

REALLY, NOW? Are you REALLY gonna go find the biggest chocolate there is and buy it? White lies.
You'd BETTER keep that a secret! Zip those lips!
You promised you'd stay. Don't you DARE walk out and just leave!

How would you feel if you were on the receiving end of these promises? Just think for a moment about all the times you were let down. Maybe if you started keeping your promises to other people, they would begin keeping their promises to you? Whether they do or not, if you can't do it don't say the words 'I promise'!
 

Promises to yourself:

"I'm going to study really hard for this test!"
"Just five minutes of TV and then I'm going to go do something more productive."
"I'm quitting all my bad habits. Starting today! It's time I turn over a new leaf!"
"I'm going to hit the gym and lose all this unnecessary flab."
"No more junk food."
"I'm finally going to keep my new years resolutions."
"This is the last chance I'm going to give that person. Final chance. No more."
"I'm not going to care what other people think anymore. I'm just going to be me and keep moving forward."
"I'm going to spend more time doing this now."

The list is endless...

Promises to yourself are probably the most important, and most underrated kind of promise... Promises made to yourself are just taken for granted, aren't they? Even if the whole world is letting you down, the least you can do is not betray yourself. Right?! If you betray yourself, if you can't even trust yourself, then what sort of life are you living?
Trust me when I say you'll feel a lot better knowing you at least keep promises you make to yourself.
So do yourself a favor and keep the promises you make to yourself.

Don't break a promise unless you absolutely CAN'T do it, and you have no other choice. If you're sure you won't be able to keep it, don't do it. But once you make a promise, be it to someone else or to yourself, DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO KEEP IT.

The Prince, His Princess, and Me

This is just a short piece I wrote.
It is from the point of view of a girl who loved a guy (the prince) who, sadly, doesn't believe in love anymore because he's been hurt in the past. So the prince has locked up his heart and is no longer open to relationships, at least for now. It follows the thoughts running through the girl's mind as she resolves to let him go, for what good would come of chasing after a prince who shuts out love?

THE PRINCE, HIS PRINCESS, AND ME

Yes, I had found a prince. But that prince happened to be Rapunzel’s brother: locked up in a high tower in the middle of nowhere. And no witch put him there; he had built those strong walls by himself, shutting out love.

And what good will come of chasing after a prince who shuts out love? He does not realize today what a gem he is losing. One day, when his hurt heart has healed, and he regains his courage to set foot outside his walls, it will be for a princess. And this princess will be the luckiest girl in the world. Knowing my luck, I could never hope to be her. He is platinum and he will settle for a princess who is only silver or less but she will be the luckiest princess ever to have caught a truly rare and special prince in her net. But if I truly loved that prince, I will leave and simply be happy that he is happy with his princess, who in HIS eyes is platinum too.

I will leave, and though broken hearted, I will continue to wait for my own prince. I’ll have to wait for that one day when my own knight in shining armor will come.

And mark my words, one day he will come, and he will be the luckiest guy in the world.

 

 

TO EVERY GIRL OUT THERE, KNOW THIS: ONE DAY YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR WILL COME. HE MAY NOT BE A REAL KNIGHT, BUT HE WILL TREAT AND PROTECT YOU AS A KNIGHT WILL PROTECT HIS PRINCESS. ONE DAY A GUY WILL COME INTO YOUR LIFE WHO WILL LOVE YOU FOR YOU, AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY.

BE PATIENT.

 

Let Me

This is a poem all of you should show to the ones you love. Be it your significant other, your girlfriend or boyfriend, or your crush, this poem sums up what you feel for them.

You're telling them that no matter what, you're here to help them, to heal them, to make them feel better and cheer them up! You're here for them, always encouraging them and showing them signs of hope and inspiration. You're here to stop their pain when they're hurting. You're here for them. You're here to stay. You're here to love them, as long as they let that love in.

LET ME:

Let me kiss away your pain
Let me touch your soul
Let me heal your broken heart
Let me make it whole
Let me be your ray of light
And your source of hope
Let me be your inspiration
In everything you know
Let me be your one true love
Let me be there for you
Let me show how much I care
How much I’m in love with you


Here's an idea! If you have like someone but haven't told them your feelings yet, how about using this poem as a confession? That would be such a sweet way of confessing your love for them! If any of you try this out, tell me about it!

Hope you liked this poem!

How To Win Each Dawn's Battle

My English teacher asked my class to write a ten line poem on 'optimism', and while working on that I made it ten STANZAS long instead of just ten lines...

It's called How To Win Each Dawn's Battle because life is a constant war between us and the universe in general, where each and every day holds a new battle for us to fight. These are battles that are different for each and every person. For some, it's a fight with a friend or someone, for others it's depression or loneliness, but whatever the battle it is imperative to remain OPTIMISTIC at all times! And this poem gives you advice on exactly how to do that.  

 

HOW TO WIN EACH DAWN’S BATTLE:

Another dawn, another day.

It could be the start of the apocalypse,

Or a new era, perhaps for good change,

So arm your battleships.

It’s raining, but I can just see

The rainbow in the storm

And make out all the countless stars

On cloudy nights of the darkest form.

You are the king, you are the queen,

Your kingdom is your life

And to protect it in any strife

You are the soldier, citizen and knight.

Chin up, and glare into your enemy’s eyes

Be brave, be strong, and show your might

In the face of a dragon it’s never wrong

To steel your heart and fight.

But do not live in the past, dear warrior,

Just leave it in the mist

The present is what matters most

Life goes on, problems amidst!

Your life is your picture;

Decide who’s worth keeping in the photo.

“Cut off and cut out those who couldn’t care less”

That should be your motto.

And when it’s gloomy, sing a happy song

And cheer yourself up, cheer yourself on!

Seek out the rainbow in the eye of the storm,

Seek out the hope in the days to come.

Right now, it’s like the calm

Before and after a storm,

A never ending cycle of battles

You’ll face all on your own.

Love yourself, love your friends

And love those who love you back;

When treated badly just remember

You’re worth so much more than that.

Keep climbing, my dear,

For the peak is just within reach.

Battle stations now!

And believe in the hope of which you preach.

Above everything else mentioned in the poem, the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I know it can get difficult, especially with a bullying voice in your head pointing out all your flaws and causing all your insecurities, but if you stop believing in yourself, then everything's over. So believe. Don't give up!

 

The Unsaid Things

So you're having a conversation with someone. It could be in person, on the phone, or texting.

And you have so much to say to this person. Because he/she is THAT person. But you don't. Because you know it will scare them away. You know he/she won't like it! You know. And you'd rather not lose them. You're perfectly happy with just their company...

 

Welcome to The Unsaid Things. There's no way you're going to tell them the things you feel, the thoughts you're having. Nope. No way. Never. You hold your tongue, bite back and swallow those words, freeze your fingers to restrain them from typing and hitting send.

THE UNSAID THINGS:

So many things

Are left unsaid.

Words held back,

Held in instead.

 

Feelings left

Unexpressed,

Heart’s desires

Painfully suppressed.

 

Thoughts of sorrow,

Love, fear, anxiety, and

Thoughts of anger,

Hurt and disappointment.

 

And why? Because the unsaid things

Could scare you away,

And I don’t want to lose you,

Not yet, not today.

You want them to now so bad, yet you know they'll never understand and you'll lose them forever. You are constantly on the verge of telling them, but you hold it all back because you don't want them to know, for the better. Not yet, at least. *sigh*

 

Your Name

Love.
Heartbreak.
Forever.
Never.

I didn't say anything, but if someone's name or image popped into your mind, then you know EXACTLY what this poem is talking about.

 

YOUR NAME:

Ask me to spell ‘love’

And I’ll spell your name.

Ask me to spell ‘heartbreak’

And I’ll spell your name.

Ask me to spell ‘forever’

And it’s your name, my dear.

Ask me to spell ‘never’

I’ll spell your name in tears.

I’ll love you forever

Unlike any other,

But you and I together?

That’ll happen never.

And it’s heartbreaking,

Heart wrenching to know

That you’ll never be mine

But I’ll always be yours.

So when someone asks me

To spell words like these,

It’ll always be your name,

With the memories and the dreams.

 

*sigh* I have nothing to explain about this one. It speaks for itself. I hope you liked it!

To those of you who can relate, it's painful isn't it? It stings worse than any wound. But be strong, you'll get over it. Soon. Eventually. Hopefully.

Broken

You shouldn't have hoped. You shouldn't have done that, because you knew it would turn out this way.

BROKEN:

When you knew you shouldn’t have hoped,
When you knew and still continued to harbor feelings of love and care,
When you knew from the bottom of your heart that it will break you like glass and did it anyway,
That’s when you’re asking to be broken.

When you try to see reason,
When you want to set yourself free from this burden,
When you decide it isn’t worth your time and you deserve better and want to move on,
That’s when you’re fighting from becoming broken.

When you feel cold even when you’re not,
When you need a hug but none of them seem warm enough,
When thoughts that made you happy till last night disperse and fade as fast as they form now,
That’s when you know you’re broken.

When you finally move on,
When you can finally look back without sadness jumping into your heart,
When that love no longer seems worthwhile and you no longer regret anything from the past,
That’s when time has healed your broken heart.

This poem talks about the stages of a crush and rejection.

Stanza 1 is when you have a crush on someone and just KNOW they're never going to like you the way you like them, but STILL care for them anyway. Sometimes, darling, hope can be the enemy.
 
Stanza 2 is when you know you've got to move on because this crush of yours will never like you and you know one sided love will destroy you slowly from inside.

Stanza 3 is when you failed to move on, and got rejected. You're heartbroken. It's when you feel numb, when you feel horrible, when you feel like everything is falling apart, and everything described in that stanza. You're broken.

Stanza 4 is when you're finally over it. You've moved on. You no longer feel sad, you're no longer obsessed or in love with your crush, but you also no longer regret anything either. As they say, only time can mend a broken heart.