You saw that my face was always shining

Did you notice that my eyes weren’t smiling

Just pause to think, isn’t this facade of joy

A little weird, amazing and beguiling

You have often seen me taking a walk

Even when streets have become a little dark

Just pause to think that this pretence of bravery

Is only to show that I, too, have a spark

Under the veneer of strength and capability

Lurk the phantoms of that fear and reality

That I ‘m delicate, frail and  docile

Yet no one should pin point my susceptibility

Truth, that I’m vulnerable, hits like a dart

All the pain I felt is buried in my heart

Despite disappointments and unshed tears

Way I smile and laugh is a cultivated art

                                                                              ~Sudha Dixit

                                                                                Bangalore, India