She was in the midst of a battle,
The arrows of insults whizzing past her,
The swords of shame barely missing her,
The sirens of her conscience blaring faster

The words of people who once praised her
Pierced through the wind as insults now
Her optimistic outlook, twisted by men once brothers,
Came backstabbing her as accusations somehow

Any human might have felt the adrenaline rush
But she neither fought nor fled the scene,
She was armed with the greatest weapons, she thought,
“They may have power, but I’ve got me”

So she buckled up with her own ammunition,
The ones of justice and integrity,
And she shot down the traitors of cold blood
While her shield of perseverance shone proudly

The war was ended and won by her,
Victorious without help,
Despite having her whole world turned against her,
She realized she still had herself.

About the Poet 

Gauri Nanda Salu, is a Grade 9 student from The Indian International School, DSO.

Gauri is an ardent lover of English language and literature from the very beginning of her school years. She finds writing as a free expression of her mind and perspective. She has participated in various Spelling Bee competitions and has also won the winning title at the GCC level. A voracious reader, her inspirations are Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Besides English, her favorite subjects are Mathematics and French.