She stands in the hallway the way small birds stand in storms,
too fragile for the wind,
too brave to fly away.
***
Her pajamas still smell like sleep,
yet the night has already carved her awake.
She clutches the stuffed toy that knows all her secrets,
the one thing that never raises its voice.
***
On the wall, the adults she loves become giants made of noise.
Their shadows twist into shapes she doesn’t have names for yet,
but her heart recognizes every one of them.
Fear.
Anger.
The kind of pain that echoes even when the house goes silent.
***
She doesn’t cry.
Children like her learn quickly that tears make no difference
in a place where promises break louder than bones.
***
Still, she watches.
Because if she turns away,
no one will remember to be gentle.
***
And in that narrow strip of hallway light,
a child becomes something she should never have to be:
the keeper of peace
in a war she didn’t start.
***
One day she will grow,
carrying this doorway inside her like a bruise that never quite fades,
learning to unteach herself the lie
that love is something shaped like fear.
***
But tonight,
she is only a little girl
standing in the dark
begging the world,
without words,
to please
be softer.
***
Thank you for staying and loving my work
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Aarsh Malik
Poet, Storyteller, and Healer.
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'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan4 days ago in Beat
Comments (9)
Lovely, measured, and heartbreaking. Well done.
This is such a beautiful depiction of the heartbreaking realities for many children in the world.
Heartbreaking yet ever so powerful. Excellent poem, full of profound impact.
WOW, within the eye of the storm the child sees with the eye of the heart and wants peace. Love this poetic journey to spiritual awakening of the soul. Thank you 💙😢💙
Wow. Powerful poetry!💙😢💙
This is so heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. Thank you for sharing.
Excellent poem, so heart wrenchingly vivid. I especially liked: “learning to unteach herself the lie that love is something shaped like fear.”
It’s so true how kids just absorb everything. I’ve definitely felt like that "small bird in a storm" before too. Thank you Aarsh for sharing this beautiful piece. ❤️
Your poem shows the devastation children endure when forced to become peacekeepers. Aarsh, I hope many read this and understand the damage.