Kavya

A collection of poetries

By
Charvi Mishra
 To,
The Feminine
Dear Reader,

I’m just another girl

who always had a hard time,
saying what was in her heart
and on her mind,
and often my intentions,
thoughts and actions
have been incoherent, misaligned.
Often what I said,
was not what I meant
and a lot that I kept unsaid
turned out to be something
that could’ve saved
either me, or the other person.

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Nevertheless, my way of expression has always
been poetry. Since I was little, as little as 11 years
old, I’ve expressed myself best in poetry as it gives
us the power to hide but not hide at the same
time, or adorn our worst wounds with very
beautiful words, so it hurts a little less. While it
also gives the reader, a power to interpret each
line of poetry in whatever ways they want.
It's like a poetry that has ever been born, is to be
possessed by a million readers, like it was never
created for a single individual but for a part of
humanity with somewhat similar experiences,
and how a line that I wrote for an entirely
different experience, reminds you of the emotions
you had while experiencing something entirely
different. How the entire humanity is linked by a

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single thread of a variety of emotions, how each
one of us know every emotion that the other
person feels but somehow, we still fail to offer
empathy to our peers. How come?
Anyways, go ahead and read my little poetries,
may be some day when I have enough courage, I’ll
tell you about the context of each one of these.

With a lot of love,

Yours,
Charvi Mishra

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 Table of Contents

You’re an Art 9

Dream, little dreamer 13

Inner Calling 17

Truth 21

Black and White 25

Forever Young 31

That Happy Girl 39

Ladders to Success 44

Bad Women 51

The way out the Labyrinth 59

Oh! Dear Heart 65

Acknowledgement 69

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8
 You’re an Art

You're an art, if you're a mess,

if you don't know how to address
someone that you don't like
who constantly triggers your vibe.
you're an art.

You're an art, if you're a rebel,

if you've been going through hell
but striving every day for a change
and getting hatred for being 'strange'.
you're an art.
You're an art, if you've been broken
by someone who was once taken
by you but treated you as an option
so you left that piece of auction.
you're an art.

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You're an art, if you've been a disappointment
if you don't have someone to whom you can vent
out all your anxieties and griefs of the past
because now you can’t trust anyone, alas!
you’re an art.

You're an art,
if you don't find life worthwhile anymore
but you get up every day and do your every chore
and even if sometimes you don't make it through,
you break down in between and hate being you
you're an art.
You're an art, for whatever phase of life you're in,
if you're broke, disappointed, or guilty of a sin,
if you feel like giving up and never returning
but you're still standing tall, not falling.
you're an art.

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You're an art, if you're happy
and think, life's just a bit sappy
if you're in love with sunshine
and have never walked in line
with the world and it's shitty rules,
using sarcasm and indifference as tools
to win over the cruelty of their words
but didn't stop being kind to others.
you're an art.
You're a masterpiece,
even if some colours of you aren’t proportionate,
some got mixed and made a different shade,
you're worth every bit of love and adorning
please know you're wanted every single morning.
you're an art in every way that's your own
you're an art for how beautifully you've grown
you're an art.

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 Dream, little dreamer

Dream you little dreamer,

dream to shine bright.
All guides and angels,
will help you spread your light.
Dream while you sleep,
and dream with open eyes.
Dream while in solace,
and see how time flies.

Dream and dream and keep dreaming

until it becomes reality.
Keep taking small steps
to bring out dimensional parity.
Because if you can dream it,
you can do it too.

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Just keep believing in yourself,
there's nothing that can stop you.

Work hard and smart, slowly, steadily,

but make sure you never stop,
it may take some time
for one to reach the top.

Your dreams are not mere dreams,

they're a portal for better future,
for you and for mankind,
time is the best tutor.

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Let your dreams ride
on these waves of time.
I know you'll shine one day,
sparkling and sublime.

Keep working on your dreams

and work on yourself too.
Always remember your self-worth
and never stop believing in you.

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 Inner Calling

Let's see the world upside down,

for once, today,
what if we like it better
this new way?
Let's visit places yet unvisited,
let's take the road not taken,
then rest under starry sky in a forest,
and wait for the world to awaken.
Let's look for a different path
that can lead us to authenticity,
even if it feels like being lost,
let's, for once, trust luck and serendipity.
Let's break the convention,
and become an exception,
let's be a little more than ordinary,

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try and change people's perception.
Let's fall,
not just in love, but elsewhere too,
But then rise,
like how the winners do!
Let's follow our hearts
for this one time,
and keep looking and looking
for a place to call 'mine'
For this life is way too short
to not care for what our hearts say,
but better start listening to it now,
because it wouldn't shut up anyway.
So break all the chains,
escape from the cages,
walk on the path of inner-calling,
that's been waiting for you, for ages.

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20
 Truth

Ever wondered why do you often hide yourself?

Why do you rarely show your true colours?
Why different people know a different you?
Why hide your failures and often even valour?

Why don't you let your soul sing what it wants?

Why don't you dance to the beats of your own
heart?
Do you have a fear that always haunts?
Is it something that might tear you apart?

Why don't you wear your wounds like

ornaments?
Why don't you quench your soul's most dire
thirst?

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Will your greatness shatter by their comments?
But what are we more than star dust?

Ever thought that this whole wide world,

is nothing but some billion different perspectives,
where some are hiding and some are fighting
for validation of their own narratives.

So why do you ever try to blend in?

Can't you see they were doing it wrong, all along?
Running everywhere seeking validation of others
When each soul has it's own unique song.

How can one approve of someone else's story

when all they know is their own losses and glory?
But you tender, little, empathic soul,
You see and understand each and every role.

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So why do you end up ignoring yourself?
When you can be the way-shower,
guiding the lost back to authenticity,
and trusting yourself as the best knower.

Today, remove all these masks!

Dare to reveal all your faces!
Do what your soul truly asks,
having no sorrows, not even traces.
Let your feelings flow through you.
Release all your fears, guilts and shame.
Let the world see you as someone new.
Don't care for what they do to your name.

Have the courage to speak and be your truth.

Don't be a puppet of their point of view.
With utmost grace and pure ruth,
let the world see and learn from you.

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 Black and White

A photograph,
black and white,
looks aesthetic
like the moon and night,
a happy picture
looks happier,
and a sad one
brings out tears,
if the picture is
black and white.
Different people,
black and white,
have the same blood,
despite

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coming from different race,
ethnicity and gender,
but still they fail to render
gratitude to humanity,
this makes me doubt their sanity,
if it's black and white

Different works,
wrong or right,
like colours,
black and white,
but motive is the same :
to live in abundance and sustain
the ups and downs of life,
that have passed
or will arrive
in the coming time,
that's black and white.

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The black and white
Yin Yang,
depicts life's
darkness and
all the light
of joy, wisdom and hope
that helps all of us to cope
with the darkness that life brings
for the beggars and even the kings.
Black and white
is for extremes
and grey is what
lies in between.

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Black and white
is clarity,
Black and white
is parity.

It's all the same,

we're all one,
we're all unique,
better or worse than none.
It is all black and white.

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30
 Forever Young

Fallen shoulder,
shining smile.
That’s how you live when you’re older,
somewhat innocent, somewhat vile.
From running for things
to running from them
marks the end of childhood,
no matter how hard you condemn,
this failing feeling
makes me fail at speaking,
so, I take a pen,
and write to my heart’s content,
hoping no one’s going to understand.
But stupid me,
they still wouldn’t apprehend

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had I said it out loud,
because fathoming one’s depth
is not what they’re about.
Creepy creatures
committing loads of vice,
that’s what adults are,
they’re colder than ice.
Full of disguise,
and all that I despise.
they act nice
then become the reason of one’s demise.
And this death, you wouldn’t know
if it’s a metaphor or reality
or just a show
to gain sympathy,
don’t you spare them empathy,
they’re unworthy
their heads and hearts are empty.

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But then these same people,
in a moment of carelessness,
sometimes forget to be evil
and let loose their childishness.
When they laugh with their eyes
and smile through their hearts,
when sometimes they’re kind,
it heals my broken parts.
When they remember being human
is all about love, sharing and caring
and in the darkness of life,
being kind and soft is daring.
These same people
they break, then they mend
sometimes they speak
what they never meant.

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Remember kid, this life,
may be full of trials and errors,
but amidst all the strife,
never give in to terrors
of your mind.
You’re meant to shine.
Keep the child in you alive.
Don’t just survive,
live, love, laugh, heal,
play, joke, enjoy, feel.
Feel deep and love a great deal.
Always do what appeals
to you, your heart and soul.
Do whatever makes you feel whole.
Remember, you’re complete
on your own.
Don’t be blinded by greed
once you’ve grown,

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be humble, remember your roots,
be successful, succeed at being good.
So good that someday, when you look back,
you can see all your life’s track
full of sweet memories, laughter, and love,
that even heaven smiles at you from above.

Remember kid, when you grow up

do not lose your spark
but more than anything,
never lose your kind heart.

Be responsible and brave,

always choose to behave
with grace
cherish this innocence on your face.

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You’re strong and you’re enough
never lose hope
seeing all the bad stuff
you’ll know how to cope
with whatever comes your way.
And please stay young
even when you’re old I pray,
that you’re forever young.

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38
 That Happy Girl

That happy girl,

yes she, who loves sunflowers,
whose smile charms the world,
who seems to have no scars.

Yes, she whose name could be Grace

as she's willing to embrace
whoever comes her way
in sadness or dismay
she's willing to put efforts
and take you out of your deserts,
she can go to any lengths
to take away your pain
and transmute it to peace,
she's like soft light rain

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that can quench one's agony
just by her words and presence
she makes it all seem easy
an angel from heavens.

She can feel what you feel

you can see it in her eyes
her touch is always warm
she's so raw, no disguise.
And when you need someone
who can lend you some understanding
know that you can find her
that girl with angel wings.

Because she would never judge

as she's only there to heal
whenever you become a mess
come and tell her how you feel.

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She expects nothing in return
such a motherly vibe
but she's also a protector,
It's hard to describe.

Though she's easy and a giver

but she also holds a shield,
she has been a brave warrior
in life's battlefield.
She's a sweet flowing river
but she can be like the ocean
on a full moon night
so here's a word of caution:
Do take from her
because she is willing to give
but remember to love and respect her
so it's not hard for her to live.

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Because takers know no ends,
and she's an endless giver
but she can turn into wild tides
from a sweet flowing river.
She can devour you whole
if you ever cross the line
remember to respect her
the rest is going to be fine.

That happy girl

who feels like sunshine,
a blessing to the world
thank God she's in your life and mine.
That happy girl
if you look into her eyes,
there's that peace from after death
but she looks so alive.

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That happy girl
maybe she went through a lot
but she has already learnt
how to enjoy life's plot.

I pray for that happy girl,

so she gets everything in life.
And I pray she stays a giver,
so the world can survive
by the goodness of people like her
who help the world to turn,
without them this world
would crumble to pieces and burn.
This is an ode to those good people
who've got empathy and kindness to give.
They are not feeble,
they make it easier for us to live.

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 Ladders to Success

Wake up baby girl,

it’s time again to hustle,
drop your barbie and doll house,
take charge real steady and subtle.
Face your fears,
it’s your near and dears,
how can you hide yourself
from your own peers?

It’s stupid to avoid them,

because that’s sort of illegal.
Remember, ladders to success
are made of people.

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Whether dead or alive,
willing shoulders or crime,
you really have to climb,
no, you can’t decline.
There’s always a long line
of those who can take your place,
stepping on your foot,
they can leave you behind in your race.
That’ll be such a disgrace,
so, wake up and take space.

Don’t you know baby girl,

ladders to success are made of people.
Remember that.

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You can’t shut everyone out.
You can’t run away or doubt
everyone you meet
you should really try to believe.
And I don’t know how
can you make that choice right,
but I’ll say each soul is God-sent,
try to look at the side that’s bright.
I know it’s tough,
your heart is broken to pieces.
You feel safer in this box
you built for until the suffering ceases.
But this hurt never seems to stop,
they always get your soft heart to drop,
it really drops to the pit of your stomach.
I know it feels like a tight knot.

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It’s okay baby girl,
try to step out of this box,
happiness and sadness are
one puzzle’s two missing blocks.
If you’re missing even one,
the whole picture is incomplete.
So, listen baby girl
let your heart beat.
Try to hold hands
and don’t restrain them.
Touch people’s heart and soul,
loosen your fist, leave that hem.
Move closer to people,
not because they need you
or because you need them

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but because your intention is true
and because you’re too a stem
in the tree of humanity,
this isn’t about vanity.
Remember your dream
it’s in service of mankind.
Bring back your eyes’ gleam,
believe that it’s destined
for you to realize your dreams.
Remember that baby girl,
ladders to success
are made of people.

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 Bad Women

Women who party, get drunk and date.

Women who sometimes come home late.
Women who simply look their age
or those who succeed too much to be caged.
Women who don’t conceive and
their opinions can’t be changed
or those who give birth
and refuse to be chased.
Women who know their worth
and don’t live in a daze.
Women who live life
following old or new ways.
Women who refuse to forgive or forget.
Women who live with no regret.

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Those are the bad women,
since they’ve turned stronger than most men.
Honey, don’t you dare be like them,
because God forbid, the world would condemn
the making of yet another strong woman
joining the list of bad women.
Who are many in numbers,
you can never count them on fingers,
let alone hoping for them to dance on it,
because they do what they want
with the money in their pocket.
They just simply flaunt
their wisdom and strength.
To achieve their goals,
they can go to any length
and play many roles.

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These women live life as they choose.
Women who love women and refuse
to marry men
or submit to them.
Women who stand with gay and trans men.
Those are the bad women
since they’ve grown stronger than most men.

Those who contain the feminine rage

and pretend to be calm like an actor on stage,
I think they become good women then,
because then they are validated by men.
But oh Lord, these men worship Goddesses,
those who should be their prime nemeses.

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Since Durga becomes Kali
when her patience runs out,
she kills evil men
with a scary shout.
Oh! She’s so loud,
and so damn proud.
So, does she qualify as a bad woman?
A bad woman being worshipped by men?

I’d really love to be her,

graceful like a river
but dangerous like wild ocean.
I’d show great devotion
to femineity and womanhood.
I’d live life on my own terms and condition,
just the way a woman should.

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I’ll be a bad woman
who’s stronger than most men.
A woman who is kind
but not in line
with society’s expectation
and enjoys life like a vacation.

A woman who isn’t blind

to the world’s prejudice
and who doesn’t mind
being used for the benefit
of mankind and the needy.
A woman who’s ambitious,
NOT GREEDY!
Who gives no explanations
for her actions

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just the way men have been doing for ages
when they start wars today and even in old pages.

What the world calls a bad woman

is really just a strong one
burning with passion
having good sense of fashion.
They are the strong women,
not Bad Women.
That is the correction.
Pardon me for my wrong word selection.
Or don’t if you’re an offended man,
because it’s okay I understand.

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58
 The way out the Labyrinth

Eyes shut, or wide open,

makes no difference in this abyss,
for a pitch black, cold darkness
embraces each and every novice.
With faltered vision, seeing bad omen
or a flaw of perception, who can guess?
Restless eyes look for an exit,
but there’s none, oh what a mess!
Only way out the labyrinth is through it
somewhere a known voice suggests.
But it seems to me that I’ve chosen
this comfortable sleep paralysis.
So eyes shut, or wide open,
makes no difference in this abyss.

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With no hope and faith broken,
how can I just move ahead?
This crippling anxiety has me frozen,
I wish to step back instead.
But this can’t be
and I can’t see
what’s ahead of me
everything is blurry.
All that I can remember
are things I once held close to heart,
until little by little,
they were ripping me apart.
Only way out the labyrinth is through it
yes, that was the fine part.

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I remember again, what I need to do.
Need to keep walking until I’m through
this thick of time- dark abyss or labyrinth
until I can see a bright glimpse
of light at the end of tunnel
before I realize it’s a myth
not the light, but the end of tunnel.
The labyrinth ends where ‘I’ end,
there’s nothing to fear or defend.
We need to keep going ahead
while fighting the demons in our head.

But no, that’s not my sound,

I must regain my ground.
There is indeed light,
waiting to be found

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inside you
so stop being blue.
Turn to your heart,
look within,
there’s so much spark
so much to begin.
If the abyss is dark,
then be the light,
walk with grace,
and all your might.

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64
 Oh! Dear Heart

Oh! Dear heart,

please rest for a while,
if you are crying today,
There were also times you smiled.
If there are evils being done,
and others chose to shun,
You can be the one to help,
caring for every yelp.

If you want it to end,

tell yourself to have courage
to carry hope in your heart
while seeing this temporary damage.

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It will soon get better,
the world will be pretty again.
You just stand together
with every heart that is in pain.

To heal other hearts

you need to heal yourself first.
Do not lose hope,
stand tall with utmost trust
in love and humanity
and all will recall their sanity.
Until then dear heart,
please rest for a while.

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Stop crying and repenting,
for sins you haven't done.
All reap what they sow,
escaping is a choice for none.

Justice will be served,

even if it takes time.
If not believe in this,
at least have hope and smile.
Oh! Dear heart,
Please rest for a while.

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68
Thankyou,
Dear reader for choosing this book to read. I
wrote this book with the intention that it will
bring hope and a sense of belonging to anyone
who picks it. These poetries used to be mine,
wholly and solely mine, but from this day
onwards, they’re yours, completely yours.
Thankyou for choosing me, it feels good to finally
be chosen. It feels good to be heard and seen. I
hope you felt the same way while going through
each page of this book. If you did not relate to a
whole poem, I hope you did find at least a line or
two that are now stuck with you. I hope this book
healed some hidden wounds of yours, I hope you
don’t feel like an outcast or the black sheep
anymore, because you and me, are just the same.

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For the making of this book, I want to firstly
thank my best friend Amrendra Maurya, for
designing the cover and illustrations in this book
inspired by certain pictures or tattoos available
on the internet. Funny how the most random
things turn out to be so relatable, how the most
random pieces of this world fit in the most
random places.
I thank my parents for blessing me with a life, my
brother and my family for loving me despite
being so complicated. I wouldn’t have been able
to write a word without my teachers, so I thank
my English literature teacher Chitra Malik ma’am
for making me love this language and Deepak
Tewari sir, for sharing his great perspective on life
with me. He laid the foundation of my persona.

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Throughout life I have met the greatest people,
living the most ordinary lives. I have some great
people to look up to within my family, few of
them being my mother and father, my younger
brother is far wiser than I could ever be, and my
paternal and maternal aunts and uncles. All my
grandparents have loved me more than a human
is capable of. I’ve had a rich life; I hope it gets
richer with your love and appreciation dear
reader. And I love you more than words can
express. Again, thank you for choosing me.
Yours,
Charvi Mishra

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Notes

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