Silent Battles

By: Shruti Gupta

3rd year, B.A(Hons.) Sociology

Design: Ragini

Inside me,  

a war rages,  

quiet as dawn breaking,  

yet fierce as a storm.

No banners wave,  

no cries echo through the air,  

but the weight is heavy,  

pressing against ribs,  

filling spaces where breath should be.

No one knows the shape of this struggle,

it's shapeless,

formless,

yet it lingers like fog.

I smile,  

as if the peace is real,  

as if the world outside sees,

nothing but calm waters.  

But beneath,  

currents pull,  

whirlpools of doubt,  

shadows of fear.

There are no medals for this fight,  

no victories to parade.  

It’s a battle fought in glances,  

in moments when the world is loud,  

but I am quieter still.

And though no one sees the scars,  

they are carved in silence,  

each day another round,  

each night,  

a brief ceasefire,  

waiting for tomorrow’s dawn.

Sometimes I wonder,

if the silence will crack,

if one day,

the weight will speak in a voice

that others can hear.

But until then,

I fight in whispers,

in thoughts too fragile to hold,

too strong to escape.

The world moves on,

and I move with it,

carrying this unseen burden,

a quiet war within,

until the day comes

when I can lay down my arms,

and finally,

be still.

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