Scarlet was my ensemble,

Scarlet-my eyes,

My own blood painted me a portrait of mendacities,

Gold were my jarring jewels,

Gold-the fire in the altar I grew up to despise.

Auburn was the earth where my hopes decomposed,

Auburn-the new lines of fate on my palms,

Standing morose,

I was a damsel in this dress,

Waiting to be the damsel in distress.

11 PM,

They told me that I was a sight to behold,

They waited for me,

The family I didn’t choose,

The family I couldn’t choose,

Amidst my blues,

I stepped down the stairs in all red,

Praying that they were momentarily infinite.

My cold feet stayed frozen in May,

I turned away.

I walked up the stairs I had conquered minutes ago,

I locked myself in the room that used to be my realm,

I took a leap of faith from a window at the back.

I’m just a runaway bride,

Who was too timid to show up at the altar,

But brave enough to leave.

~ Sanjeevani Sakshi

Patna, India