Could I wait forever
Watching them drown
Holding in tight
Our smiles, our frowns

Pain sets in deep
Rises with the sun
Beams on the lips
Slides off the tongue

Days slip by nights
Edges blur with cries
Shadows dim and dig
The corners of my eyes

Mirror stands still
To the ravages of fear
That I untiringly wipe
With hope and with succor

Should I wait forever
Time will play my hand
Slipping past my fingers
Clouds, rivers, sands

– Akanksha Gupta