When and where it left me, I cannot recall But it wasn’t walking with me anymore, After I recovered from that terrible fall. For many years I thought, I owned it And therefore held it close Till one day I discovered, I’d be better off if it goes. That nagging thought and feeling, ‘Do I have it in me to know’ Which is the road that beckons, And which one will help me to grow.

 

Then l one fine day, it went away… That shadow of self doubt; Giving birth to a bright new me Resilient and free. Self awareness, belief and confidence Made me realise, That burden of bondage I had carried Wasn’t mine nor a part of me The core within, my own true self, Beyond any doubt …was born to be free. (Selected by Biraj Dixit) ■