Anything But
written by: Adishree Deshpande
Maybe a bee would do
Buzzing all day with only one job in mind
Stealing from flowers to build a home
Or maybe a petal would also work
Aimlessly drifting in the warm breeze
Resting on houses or bushes, or trees
With no purpose at all but to look pretty
I wouldn’t have these drowning, burdensome problems on me
Oh, would I love to be some fire ant
Conquering land with hundreds of others
Faces all the same, nothing that makes us differ
Hiding when it’s cold, yet showering in the bright sun
Why something breathing? I could also be a piece of gum
Chewed up and used, with no color or flavor
Lonely under the table where not one looks
The coldness of the wood being the only company
Forever looking down at the dirty, clammy, tiled floor
Anything but human
Oh, anything but that creature would do
With stone-cold eyes and a fiery heart
Feelings too deep, yet actions barely ripple the top
The loving hate of being one is what makes them so fraudulent
Would I disappear and hide
Hide from myself, a monster of my own creation
So I beg you
I plead and implore
Make me a fly or a bee or a petal
A mere piece of gum that is chewed and used
Make me but a breathing human
Such creature that contradicts the purpose of love
- Anything But - August 25, 2025
- Echoes of Guilt - May 26, 2025
