The One Inside and the Girl Outside

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.