Ever felt so guilty about having done something you shouldn’t have done? How do we overcome such guilt? How do we forgive ourselves? Every crack of dawn and every approaching dusk, we fear being reminded of our wrong doings. All we want to do is forget that it ever happened. Sometimes, we live every single day with a constant reminder of such things and feel so lost yet liberated that the truth is out in the open. We feel so caged yet freed from the burden of bearing a hidden confession. We feel so ashamed yet lucky to be given another chance to once again become that person we know we want to be. We feel so neglected, undeserving of trust and at the lowest point of self-esteem yet we feel the power of our prayers would give us another life to live it like we could never again commit such a sin.

This poem emblazons the message underlying in our struggles to surmount our better selves from who we used to be. We know we will conquer our hardships and can see ourselves on the greener side of our own emotional quotient but let’s not forget how many doubts, fears, questions, rejections, isolation and punishments it takes for us to climb in order to stand right at the top. That top spot is very much ours, we very much deserve it, and we have every single step from the quagmire to the sky to credit for our liberation.

I wonder, if the quiet and serene Aogashima were to break her silence from 1785 and throw her heat out, how would it appear?
This poem is based on one of my repressed emotions that I felt was connecting with the peaceful yet secretly building Aogashima.

For full intro, visit - https://ambikajois.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/aogashima/

From a singleton's POV (or if you're in a long distant relationship) and witnessing PDA on public transport / social media / wherever, when that's the last thing you want to see. I'm sure we've all had a dose of this at least once!

For full intro given to this poem, visit - https://ambikajois.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/why-cant-i/

This is what it feels like to know you've always had this one dream, but you never could muster up the courage to exhaust all options to make it come true. This is what it feels like to be in the position to look at another, who's making it work, who makes it look like it's easy, effortless, with a massive smile on their face, sparkles in their eyes and a strong positive energy within their aura. This is what it feels like to know someone like that, whilst wishing you could've achieved your dream, just like they're achieving theirs. This is what it feels like to still have hope that you CAN achieve that dream, just like they have. This is what it looks like deep down, that until you've achieved that dream of yours, you do not feel complete.

In Greek mythology, Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.
Lament: A passionate expression of grief or sorrow.

I wrote this poem inspired by a recent come by of a web comic (LINE WebToon) by the title ‘Siren’s Lament’, exquisitely created and illustrated by Mingso (Miso aka InstantMisoSoup) accompanied by beautiful background music by Kenny (KennyComics). I was very touched by the illustrations that portrayed the heartbreaking one-sided love story between two friends. The saying,”It’s hard to admit when you have fallen in love with someone who can’t be yours.” is pretty much the best way to describe the sentiment behind this comic story as I’ve read it so far. Not to mention how Kenny’s simple piano music to accompany this beautiful and strong emotion reaches my heart and settles deep within my very marrow. I dedicate this poem to Mingso and Kenny for capturing my mind with your talent and art, my new friend Anushri Praveen for introducing me to the comic ‘Siren’s Lament’ and for getting me to start reading something again, and my best friend Sutha Bala for being supportive, encouraging and for believing in me.

“‘La Douleur Exquise‘ (French) literally means “the exquisite pain”; it comes from a medical term which defines a pain which morphine cannot dull. It’s meaning has become something used to describe that indescribable pain of being hurt by the one you love.” ~ Pamela Haag (www.BigThink.com)