Duality

The duality of light and shade,

The voice of reason 

and the overwhelming rage,

The resentful cynic 

Versus empathy and grace,

The hopeless romantic

Or the endless chase,

Sometimes I write for the eyes,

Sometimes to appease my mind,

Some poems for the soul 

and some purely for the rhyme,

Balance the vulnerability 

With aesthetic lies,

Years of conditioning,

Don’t be so forthright,

Subtlety is key,

Shroud yourself in mystery,

Call out my own hypocrisy,

Even write myself an apology,

This blurred line was my destiny,

Back and forth till insanity

Who are you going to be today?

Maybe take a shower and look okay?

There’s a lot riding on your mood my friend

Fuck it, let’s just take a break then.

                       —Ananya Murali