Them and Me

Sara Misra
(Stratford-upon-Avon)

There is a wall.

An invisible wall, impossible to break,

Between them and me.

Their voices barely filter through,

Not unlike a cacophony of crickets,

Echoing off a lonely room.

They thrive in it, in the energy, tension and noise,

While I would not survive an hour let alone years.

For me it is a battlefield

Each word a bullet, each word shrapnel,

Each word dangerous,

Each word an unexploded mine insidiously waiting for the trigger.

Bham. The war of words begins.

I am awkward in this world, in this war

Like a flower growing on a mine,

Will they let me in?

Will they make me choose sides?

Will they take my bullets to their heart?

The din increases as I am invited to talk.

It is time to fight,

Perhaps I might even win this time.

There is a wall.

An invisible wall,

A protective wal–