How Did I Get So Bitter?

                                                    By Radhika Agrawal

I flinch when someone hugs me,

Or at the slightest human touch.

I dig my nails into my skin,

I dig till it’s too much.

I sit in a silent corner,

Averting my gaze from the curious eyes.

I talk only when I have to,

Conversations made of lies.

I let the phone ring,

And leave the door unanswered.

I hide under the sheets,

Like a bitter coward.

I ignore the life inside of me,

And the empty void of absence.

I suppress my beating heart;

The remorse, regret and repugnance.