i look outside
i look at a girl
she is outside
i am Inside
she waves hi
i wave hi back
she says come
join me out here
i say no not today
i am Inside today
i will stay Inside
she gives me
a cheerful smile
and says okay
she runs away
i stay Inside
in the Freezing Cold
she comes back
i gaze at her through
the window here
she says hey come
out here in the warm sun
i say no not today
i am Inside today
i will stay Inside
she sighs and
then says okay
she runs away
i stay Inside
she comes back
i stare at her through
the tinted glass
she says you there
come outside now
or I’ll drag you out here
i say no not today
she comes in
she drags me toward
the bright world
i struggle and pull
i yank my Cold arm free
she says don’t you
want to come out
i say no not today
i am comfortable in
the Lonely Dark
she says okay
she runs away
and doesn't look back
many years later
I wait for her Light
to rescue me from
the dark every day
I patiently sit by the
frosted window that
is the barrier between
Myself and the welcoming
World just outside my reach
I breathe onto it and
trace little hearts on it
I am ready to go Outside
She never comes back.
--
Ananya Venkatachalam is a member of the class of 2022. She likes to learn new things. She wants to go into the field of neuropsychology and research how to prevent/cure various mental health disorders.