“ Why Am I ?”

Kavitha Sridhar

Kavitha Sridhar

San José Public Library | Spring into Poetry Contest, 2021. Entry in the age 18+ category.

She wanted to fly,
And touch the sky,
That day she was in a hurry and she rushed,
Suddenly her wings were crushed,
She struggled to flap her wings to fly.
And then she asked, " Why Am I ?"

The baby opened his tiny eyes to see the world,
Mom and dad kissed his forehead and they were very glad,
On his first day in school, he was labeled.
His friends called him disabled ,
He came back home and questioned but his parents can't reply,
And then he asked, " Why Am I ?"

He was ambitious and worked very hard,
To see his name on the admit card,
He was one among many to get the breakthrough,
But he was the only one to face the ragging(bullying) though,
There were roars of laughter and claps but he remained shy,
And then he asked, " Why Am I ?"

It was love at first sight,
They dreamt a future together bright,
They thought alike, and always chated and chated,
But fate has planned something else and they parted,
There are no more dreams left but only memories to rely,
And then they asked, " Why Am I ?"


She was an angel from the skies,
Pearl of everyone's eyes,
They got her married,
Thought she was settled,
But she was burned alive and before her final goodbye,
She asked, " Why Am I ?"

She grows up being proud to be a woman,
She married the best man,
But she was deceived,
By fate and she never conceived,
For her, all the other bonds seemed to be a lie,
And then she asked, " Why Am I ?"

He was the star performer,
His solutions were game changer,
Then organization changed and though he was flawless
He was fired and was jobless,
Again he has to start afresh and try,
And then he asked, " Why Am I ?"


He had a caring wife, old parents and a son to be graduated,
His hopes were elevated,
Suddenly one day the devil knocked at the door ,
And cancer said you have only a few days more,
He didn't know what to accomplish before he dies,
And then he asked, " Why Am I ?"


She was independent and wanted to thrive,
She had to support a go-live,
She went to the office that night,
After that, her life had no light,
She was raped,
A trauma she never escaped,
She wanted to cry,
And then she asked, " Why Am I ?"

Spring into Poetry Contest, 2021 - San José Public Library
0