Sometimes you're a footnote.
Others can refer to.

Other times you're lucky enough.
To be a whole entire chapter.

Some people go.
So they turn into a page.

As they wonder why.
They're not mentioned,
Again by name.

Other people's stories.
Will stay estranged from you.

While others will weave,
Their way into your world.

We are all just living stories.
Wanting to be heard.
Needing to be seen.

Trying to find a home.
Among the margins.
Of life.

We are all just stories.
With something to say.

That we are here.
Even if it was just,
For a chapter or two.

We all become stories.
At the end of the day.

Cedar wood house
aching with arthritis
still standing atop a hill,
at me, she blew a kiss,
dreaming I could feel,
and as made my way
down the horizon
where the flowering
dogwood-covered
peaks rose
to this valley,
where whiskey flows,
old mountain ranges
have always been
November’s ghost.

I’m on this road
thinking it will lead me home,
but all along,
I was wrong,
my home lives with me
in my bones.
Faces I knew by heart,
in time faded until forever gone,
I’m left here singing their song
with their names etched
on winter stones.

This road has grown weary
leading me to golden places
that weren’t even there;
all the while it was I
chasing castles in the air,
and I was foolish enough
to care about running after
a mirage anywhere,
all along,
by my side, the happiness
that I dared myself to find,
has always been with her.

I grab my pencil
everyday

Shaky hands
bring down the lead tip
barely touching the paper
in anticipation
of inspiration

Bombs explode outside  
clouding the sky

I call my muses
to work
but
they fail to clock in
because
the road between
the heart and the mind
has been
bombed

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Because, always do you stand
With the oppressed
With the marginalised
With the hated
With the silenced
And finally
With the ignored!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Because, every time do you take the lead
When it comes to fighting against injustice
Calling out media bias
Exposing the hypocrisy of the liberals
Highlighting gender and caste issues
Blasting the central government left, right and centre
And last but not the least
Making us all feel your righteous anger!!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
For you, does my heart bleed
Because, are you an extremely kind soul
Who cares for humanity above all
Beneath your raging passion
I can feel your sheer compassion
You've been through hell
And yet, do you stand tall
Fighting endlessly and fearlessly for social justice
And striving your hardest for peace
Without even thinking of giving up
To you, greatly do I look up!!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Of you, forever will I remain proud
Whenever I have a bad day
It is you, who shows me the way
During my darkest phases
It is you, in whom I find solace
Even when I am extremely negative
You provide me the motivation to be positive
May Jesus bless your beautiful soul
And may you find your inner peace, above all!!

my greatest secret
none of this was planned
for decades I've been
busking it, hoping no one
will spot my inadequacies

I made a beautiful thing
but it died for an uncaring world
looking for commercial beauty
a fast track to the stars
big houses fast cars
the gem was lost for what it was
a time and a moment passed
lost seconds after it was born
never stood a chance, buried forever
in the graveyard of could have been

we all have a spark
a burn to make a mark
sometimes we are seen
in the darkness of creativity
sentenced to the madness
of looking for the ultimate thing
others fade like shooting stars
beauty seen once, then forgotten
in the next meteor shower
some never bright enough
for even the darkest night
are you with me brother
we die and the sky won't cry
even for our most tenebrous sins

In shadows deep, where anger grows,
A world in turmoil, sorrow shows,
Hatred’s fire, a burning blaze,
Consumes the light, obscures the days.

Yet in the darkest, coldest night,
A spark of hope, a flicker bright,
Peace begins its gentle rise,
A beacon in the troubled skies.

Where hatred sows its bitter seeds,
Compassion blooms in quiet deeds,
A hand extended, hearts that mend,
In unity, our souls transcend.

Through storms of rage, through cries of pain,
We seek the sun, we seek the rain,
To wash away the scars of strife,
To nurture love, to cherish life.

For every act of kindness shown,
A bridge is built, a seed is sown,
In every heart, a chance to see,
The path to peace, our destiny.

So let us rise, and let us stand,
With open hearts, with open hands,
To turn the tide, to heal the land,
In peace, together, we will band.

Amidst autumn's hue, where shadows play,
A leaf named Luna danced, on her final day.
She clung to branches, worn and weak,
Yet in release, her strength would speak.

My story's not unique, yet universally true,
We all must rise, and shine through.
Like the seasons, our journeys unfold,
From darkness to light, we're made to mold.

Resilience is born, in every fall,
A chance to rise, and stand tall.
I am Luna, and this is my tale,
Of transformation, and inner prevail.

So let my words, be your guiding light,
Shine through fears, and ignite your night.
You are strong, you are brave, you are bright,
Unleash your inner strength, and take flight.

©Priyanka Bhagat

In fleeting moments,
Hearts find an echo,
Eyes that see unspoken depths,
Questions unfurl the soul's quiet corners,
A touch, brief yet infinite,
Igniting dormant embers.

Now, in the quiet wait,
Thrums a desire,
A secret wish,
An anxious vigil,
A silent prayer,
For a cosmic meeting.

To be intriguing, to be known,
to be cherished in the space between breaths,
Enchantment endures, absence a presence,
Connection that transcends words.