Living through life Cloudy shades of grey Cold weary eyes Mumbling in deaf tones at bay Staring at the dark distance Unanswered questions at stake Longing for this foreign language to break the silence away Dreaming loudly under curtains In this life so uncertain Dreams as pure and white as snow Trying to save its hidden glow Getting lost in its sudden mist Gluing back its scattered bits Peachy patches leave their stain Seeking clarity in the rain A million masks on unseen faces Make you question your own traces Getting by through empty promises Trapping depth in airless cases Hearing every word without really listening Like rocks under the sun, dead yet glistening Killing pure emotion using borrowed knives Losing the essence, saving your hollow lives Break the shell of envy and hate Win your compassion back, lose this debate Though worldly acceptance brings momentary relief It fades the plenitude of your belief For every shade serves its purpose in the end Don’t lose your edge trying to blend Dive deep into the centre of your pain Let it make you human again The writer has an MBBS from LMDC and has a penchant for arts, music and poetry. She can be reached at bushra_waraich_93@hotmail.com Published in Daily Times, January 29th 2018.