The Abyss, Where I Fought

By Akshat Pathak

I want to be seen.
But I'm afraid...

How will they see me?
Will they accept my past?
What if they discover my true self?
The scared and afraid.
The lost and betrayed.

How will they react?
How will they understand?
Will they punish me?
Will they bury me?
In the pit, where I lost.
In the abyss, where I fought.

I wish to know my fate.
I wish to follow my destiny.
But is it worth it? Is it acceptable?
The memories I lived with,
The self I kept with,
Is it even humane? Is it even there?

I don't know, I've no answers.

All I know, all I know / is...
I've no choice.
They would bury me,
If I don't try,
They would kill me,
If I look behind.

The world is a bad place,
I've seen it with my own eyes,
I know, it won't stop for me.
Either it will bury me...
Or worse / kill me.

The choice is mine;
What I choose, will define.
Who'll I be?
In the future, and the meantime.

Akshat Pathak is an Indian author and poet studying Literature and Philosophy at Hislop College, Nagpur University. Known for his “emotionally turbulent” style, Akshat explores the intersections of death, love, and melancholy across poetry and prose. A published author of suspense and romance, his work frequently navigates the critical and the visceral.