Scare Poem by Shruti Goswami

It does not scare me
No, for fear is like a deep breath
That I inhale to exhale every moment
Nor does it make me do
What I never wanted, never will
It scares me to think
When one stays because she has to
Not because she wanted to
When one prays because others believe
Not because she does
When one pretends because the world
Is looking at her to take the slightest chance
To pick out the unhappiness that resides
In her eyes
Not because she loves to
I fear the thought of insincerity in the efforts, the struggles, and the fingers all pointed,
That could make or break a world.

The dark alleys that gobble up whole buildings and the lights
Darker than the depression that sucks her world into a sinking oblivion
Where she does not for once fear
The touch, the groping, the lustful glances
Of unknown men that do not scare
The hell out of her
Soothes her like the licking of a pet
Knowing it will not be a living nightmare.
She stays, then, lingering on the words
Said lovingly, convincingly
Yet, the fear within gnaws like a termite
Whispering, lamenting
A new act is about to begin.