Fear

A little child 
Got scared of looking
Into the mirror
Fearing ugliness
Look back at her
As she had always been told…

When she grew up
She got scared of failing
In her exams
Fearing neglect
And punishment
As she had always felt…

In her school
She got scared of speaking
With her classmates
Fearing her ugliness 
And the subsequent neglect
As she thought would happen…

In her home
She got scared of sharing
What she had gone through 
And felt
As she never experienced being heard…

She was fearful
Of fear 
And all that she feared for
To only increase
Her fear and
The fearful.

One day
When she woke up 
Startled by an unassuming but 
Loud sound,
She realised
It was loud because
She was drowning in her fear…

That day
She woke herself up
To face it - 
To face herself in the mirror
And love her - 
She found that she was loved back.
To face failure -
And realised that success tasted better.
To speak her mind -
And feel light again.

All this taught her
That she must listen —
Listen to herself 
To conquer that 
Which had conquered her so long..
Fear!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

Poem

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