Shyam Subramanyam “The Fortress”

THE FORTRESS ____________________________________________________________ by Shyam Subramanyam, Grade 10

This existence, This sentience, Takes on only once, not twice. Take care of being human, This being human is a fortress.

A depression, a jealousy, a sadness, May attempt to penetrate your veil of security. Creeping and crawling in the corners and crevices. Like virus and disease, these guests take into your home Like factories burning trash, these guests pollute this being human.

Shun and ignore them all! Fear the murder of sorrows, For they wreak havoc in the sanity of your home. Treat their existence with dread. For if you do not barricade thy doors, ‘twill be you who is dead.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, Congregate at the footsteps of your door, They laugh like amused children. Do not invite them in! Like a tornado flying through your home, they will uproot your security.

Furniture coated in plastic and dust, bolted to the floor. Windows barred and locked is the door. A life untouched, left alone for millennia. A life in isolation—a mariner lost alone on sea— Lacking a guide from beyond.