Stretching Too Far

I will come out
of this gloom
not for you
but for myself
and I hope that
you come out too
of this despair
not for me
but for yourself

for this darkness
has clung on to our feet
for too long now
restricting us
from stepping out
of this space
full of insecurities
and apprehensions
some yours
and some mine
the residues from the past
the baggage of which
we have been carrying
with us all the time
to burden our present
with the weight of
fears about the future

and while we may say
we tried our best
to pull each other out
of this growing woe
yet we never ceased
to remind ourselves
that we were more vulnerable
than any other soul

well, we don’t realise that
yearning for admiration
and adulation
is even capable of
making us deeply mean
it’s strange though
that we believe that
love can only yield
the most venerable traits
that do exist

so we went on
stretching ourselves
till we could endure
just trying hard
to hold on to each other
for giving up would have meant
that we were callous and unkind
the characteristics which we
the so called “sensitive” beings
don’t want to get labelled by

but how did we forget
there’s a limit to stretching
and someday we would break
and fall far apart
only to realise that
the hold which seemed so tight
had an intent extremely fragile
which crumbled under the grip
and collapsed in a little while

and while the breakage
would certainly be divisive
but may be we would find
some relief in this unbind.

– Chhaya