When no canopy shelters you for a midday sleep,
No room remains for the body to adjust its rhythm,
The ghost of loneliness stands at the door, unshaven.
The windows have remained closed
Since the dusty wind once broke the backbone.
Ventilation has become a costly dream now,
And the warmth of belonging
Finds no place to hide.
Double standards crawl through
The corridors of insane minds.

Be prepared, then,
To parent yourself.

Sharpen your mind
As sharp as a knife.
Flourish within yourself;
Remaining a bud
Is always a step behind.
Let the air pass freely
Through your veins,
Connecting you to the world
Beyond your physical boundaries.
Rejuvenate yourself from within,
For the purpose that lives within you.
Like a flower, spread your fragrance,
Giving little thought to whom it serves
Or in whom it awakens
The seeds of jealousy.
Remain rooted in the soil
That you have earned,
That you deserve.
For where you choose to grow
Is nobody else’s business at all.

Bio: Dr. Alok Kumar Ray, a bilingual poet and writer, social worker and academician hails from Odisha, India. He has authored many academic books and poetry anthologies, edited academic and poetry anthologies as well. Nationally and internationally his poems, scholastic articles and write ups have received readers’ recognition. Now he resides at Bhubaneswar , the state capital of Odisha province in India.