Hiding Behind Smiles

5| Satan Dressed in Mischief

Ridh's POV

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, As we know a party is incomplete without a game-" ah there comes the satan dressed in mischief "-we have thought of a game quiet biased.

Sorry ladies, this time y'all have to recite an original poem for the ones you love or adore," The fucking host ended with a smirk. My eyes travel to Naina's and they say 'doomed'.

Doomed, indeed.

"So ladies could you please come one by one and recite lovely sweet poems for your loves?" They all shouted in agreement and Naina too. Okay, she looks happy.

Mrs Ahuja stands on the stage and starts, "As they say God has made someone for everyone.." the ladies said and said and said but all I cared about was what Naina had to say.

I stood there like a statue until i heard "And welcome Miss Naina!" and turned my head towards the stage; there she stood in her elegance with a smile like she was prepared for this.

"I have seen you talking to yourself, don't lie.
I've seen you crying at nights under the moonlight.
I never dared to hear what you said to the thin air
But the lassitude never really went unnoticed.
The lack of energy to breathe, the lack of energy to exist
The lack of energy to live, the lack of  l o v e.

Your eyes recite tales of the ashes lost in the frozen dingles
Dingles of the past you are made of, the dingles of past you hold off.
When you smile in the day light
Your smile screams to be noticed the dolour behind
The inconsistent emotions of your heart,
Are reflected on those hollow eyes of yours.

I don't know if the world sees it, or its the fact
That all those jokes you make
Are for you to hide the hollowness from the world
But I see them all, I don't feel the exact pain
For i know I never will realise how much it pains
For you to reminisce your blooded past
But I feel to hold you in my arms
Before the summer night bonfires
And when the gibberish chants of the crickets fill the air
Your pain flies away in celerity
Just the way your smile flies away
Seeing young lads with their moms.

I want to make you feel how special you are
And it aches every ounce of me to see you like that.

But it aches more to know that you don't have
Anyone to tell them your story, your life.
It hurts to know that the clarion nightmares
Haunt you so much
That you don't trust anyone with your heart.
It aches to see a glass figurine like you to
Struggling to escape the stony world
And afraid of hurting the innocents too.
It aches to see you helpless
To be alone.

But I promise to the fate out there
To give you the happiness you deserve, the r e a l smiles you need to cherish.
I take the initiative to keep you happy
Hug you so tight that all of your pain
Crumbles upon at the dark corner of your heart,
I can't remove the pain which you need to live with
But can give you the hope, the courage
To live with it. To fight with it.

And then it strikes that like you
There are so many who need a warm hug, a voice to let you know
They are with them.
There are so many like you who fear attachments.
So many who harm themselves to get rid of the mental pain.
So many who cry alone at nights
And I hope everyone gets those orbs,  those hearts to notice the pain
Just the way I did for yours.

I hope everyone gets the love they deserve,
Just the way W E  did"

She finished and everyone clapped, her poem was the longest and the deepest, like she has been writing them for years. a sign left my throat. Was it for me? all the small details in her poem, were they from what she knew or what she imagined? my mind was spinning and i needed air. I put my glass on the counter and left for the backyard which was now empty.

"I want to make you feel how special you are"
"But I feel to hold you in my arms"

Does she? Or was it just for someone else?

And for the next few moments I say there with my thoughts until I sensed a presence behind me.