Hong Kong Disneyland, 2023

Fear feeds all paranoia
Till comfort of safety aches
Greed spells a reckless hunger
That ferociously salivates

Is that hope
That drives them both?
Is it a sense of purpose?
What is life without either –
Identity in crisis?

Complacency cannot win growth
When survival is a race
When that blackhole of belonging
Is scrounging for a place

And even then, to save
What little is left to lose,
Pessimism is a tool
That optimists are wont to use

Positivity does not preclude
The realities of daily warfare
It simply carries with grace
Any face I choose wear

– Akanksha Gupta