Underneath Her Vintage Letters
written by: Sreemoyee Chanda
Little she was,
Playing in her mother’s lap,
But the blue turned grey
Before she woke up from her nap.
Father wanted to give away,
Mother begged to keep,
But fate, indifferent,
Marked it her time to weep.
Not even a year
Since she lost her home,
“I will give you one, dear,”—
Smiled the Almighty clear.
Soon her eyes opened,
To a place she’d never known—
New faces, new smiles,
A hope she called her own.
Only the pillows knew
The price of her tears,
The diary kept secrets
Worth all her fears.
She grew into silence—
A girl turned thirteen,
But never could she decode
How the world acted so mean.
The notebooks whispered
Of stories untold.
Sorrow got borrowed up,
Happiness on hold.
Her courage unseen,
Her silence misread—
She tried to move forward,
But stumbled instead.
Years blurred past
In quiet omission:
“The cursed of whole town,”
Tagged in cruel derision.
Her parents left her—once again,
Memories clawed at her coat.
All happened for she was a girl,
Society should change note.
A lesson in letting go
As if that could bring peace—
She obeyed their silence,
Collapsed to her knees.
A flower bloomed above
The grave she kissed.
No headstone to mark her—
Just the vintage letters she missed.
The body gave in,
But her soul stayed awake,
While people chanted prayers—
Unaware of their mistakes.
The letter she wrote
Was for the hearts of the future:
“Before you let go—
Learn first how to love & care.”
The earth kept her secrets,
Her losses and her wins—
For pain never vanishes;
It waits where it’s unseen.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This poem is a voice for those who’ve been silenced by society’s injustices. It’s a tribute to every girl who has ever been made to feel like a burden. May her story remind us to listen, care, and love before it’s too late.
- Underneath Her Vintage Letters - August 17, 2025
