A CORRIDOR OF STONE, A LETTER TO YOUR SOUL

By Tyler Hardy

Down the long, dark corridor where you were taught to hide,

Neglected by maternal love, with walls on every side.

Left to fend alone among the chaos of your home,

You built a fortress out of fear, a corridor of stone.

They starved you of a tender touch, they taught you how to mask,

And left a helpless little soul to shoulder every task.

You spend your life in agony, a phantom in the cold,

Desperately craving a deep love that you can tightly hold.

You search the world for sanctuary, begging to be found,

Longing for a saving hand to fix your broken ground.

But when my ocean came to give the peace you always lack,

The terror flooded through your veins, forcing you straight back.

You panicked at the magnitude of being loved so deep,

And sabotaged the only soul who held your heart to keep.

My inner knowing walked straight past your heavy screen,

I saw the rotting wounds you locked away unseen.

I navigated through your labyrinth, bypassed your bitter pride,

And walked down that dark corridor where you choose to hide.

I found that small, abandoned boy you keep locked up inside,

Refused the very warmth and care the world should have supplied.

I knelt down on that frozen floor, I kissed away your frost,

I tore my own soul wide apart to heal what you had lost.

I drank your liquid poison just to keep your system clean,

Absorbing all the toxic smoke that choked the space between.

I sat inside your darkness to resurrect your dead,

I carried every crushing weight you buried in your head.

I poured my spirit down your well until my pulse ran dry,

And stripped myself completely bare to keep your ghosts alive.

You fed upon my quiet light and left an empty space,

Convinced that someone else could be the cure to take my place.

And in return for bleeding out to keep your spirit whole,

You turned your panic into war to crush my mind’s control.

You tried to dim the brilliant light and weaponise the cold,

Then traded out a sacred love for temporary gold.

You fled into a hollow space to trade in temporary skin,

To hide inside your corridor where safety guards the sin.

I want to write this letter, a letter to your soul,

To find that little helpless boy who longs to be made whole.

Those walls you’ve built around you so tall and dark and cold,

Your purpose isn’t hidden there, no matter how they hold.

To build a life of purpose,

And break the chains deployed,

You have to face the truth of it—

And own the empty void.

I had to leave the wreckage,

Or drown inside it too,

To save the life you nearly drained

From me instead of you.

I know you have it in yourself,

Though shadows kept it blind.

It was never really all your fault

For what you left behind.

You were never shown the kind of love

That taught you how to stay,

So you built those heavy fortress walls

And locked what’s real away.

But walls can crack,

And ice can thaw,

When the heavy ice gives way, and bitter ghosts depart,

The child learns to breathe inside the broken heart.

ABOUT THE POEM: The poem is a narrative exploration of developmental trauma, psychological defences, emotional intimacy, and the emotional cost of trying to save someone who must ultimately undertake their own healing. This is my first submission for formal publication, and the poem is particularly meaningful to me as a personal exploration of compassion, boundaries and the recognition that we cannot heal another person for them.

MIRROR OF THE MIND

By Anju Kapoor

I see myself in the mirror every day,

And what do I find?

A few frowns and a dry smile,

A few bruises and pain in my swollen eye.

Tethered feelings do not ride fair,

Weathered in thunder, dark stains adhere.

Emotions within me shriek,

Dreams to me appear terribly bleak.

I say sometimes to myself,

I write the best, when in a somber state.

Self-reflection is my mirror;

I ponder often what defines me clearer.

I know tests in life are very rough—

Good, bad, and ugly make a part of us.

Trying to hold on to what is not in my reach,

Making myself miserable - my bearing comes unhinged.

ABOUT THE POEM: This poem gives voice to the silent battles often carried within. It reflects how emotional pain and self-reflection coexist, and how writing becomes a means of processing and surviving insoluble dilemmas concerning health of the mind.

ABOUT ANJU: Anju is an avid writer and a visual artist. A Banking and Finance post graduate from the University of Mumbai, she has been a resident of Bahrain for almost 24 years. She is a bilingual poet, writing both in English and Hindi. Her sensitive emotions lends an illuminating voice to her poems. Pen and paper are her wings and rhymes her lifeline. She is also a Visual Artist, and enjoys Ekphrastic painting on canvas with a colourful visual description. She pursues her hobbies in cooking, gardening, and is an Indian classical dancer trained in Kathak. Her poems have been published in many anthologies, in English and Hindi, and shares her poetry on various Global Literary Platforms.

Facebook: @anju.kapoor.7

THE FEAR

By Annie Walsh

As cautiously I step

Into life once more

I am more scared

Than I’ve been before

Honestly some days

Are so hard to bear

Expecting the worst

Constantly in fear

Each day as I wake

Always starts so well

Till the dread begins

My own internal hell

Can’t enjoy the good

Waiting for the bad

Scared to be happy

Always feeling sad

But I won’t give up

I’ll wake every day

Hoping and praying

This fear goes away

Tho there’ll be days

Feelings of despair

Around me I have

Love ones that care

Even if some days

I know will feel tough

I’ll always be okay

Knowing I am loved

And I hope in time

To overcome my fears

That someday laughter

Will replace the tears

One thing is certain

In spite of everything

I will face each day

And what it may bring

Coz some we loved

Did die along the way

They won’t be able

To enjoy another day

So each day I live

And as the day is done

I know I am blessed

To see each and every one

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