Can I Just Stay in the Shadows?
Words by Yashvi Peeti
Can I stay in the shadows?
The light is forcing me
to adjust my glasses on the bridge of my nose
to straighten my posture
to walk in well defined lines
to talk in politically correct sentences
but i want to throw away the glasses
i don't like the weight on my cartilage tissue
where i could see the blurred colours blending
i only see a well formed silhouette
i don't want to sit upright
my slumpy shoulders are comfy
my arched back sometimes carries
the weight of the world
better than its perpendicular counterpart
i don't want to walk with my feet aligned to some imaginary conformity
i want to trip and stumble
and fall and crawl
and trace the old scar lines
leading up to the new wound
i'm a little tired of sounding smart
can i just fumble for a while
take the words on a rollercoaster ride?
they're tired of the style
so when you enter the room
and reach for the light
i ask you without explaining in so many words
my voice echoes
can i just stay in the shadows?
About the Author:
Yashvi is fierce, affectionate, and goofy. She tries to be as self aware as possible. Her passion for good literature is both infectious and inspiring. She's a 19-year-old brown woman trying to find her voice and letting it be louder.