By: Krishna Advani
(@mskrishnaadvani on Instagram)
A poem about the Jabberwocky, a metaphor for ‘fear’ from ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and the fearlessness it brings with being slain.

Subsiding with each
Button on my coat —
Maybe it was the fear
Of finally crossing the moat.

That dissipated with each
Coffee cup clutched —
Maybe it was the fear
Of walking without a crutch.

That was erased
By each passerby —
Maybe it was the fear
Of having no one to hear a cry.

That swelled with each
Passing train —
Maybe it was the fear
Of finding myself again.

That melted with each
Step towards home —
Maybe it was the fear
From being around the unfamiliar, alone.

That grew as I boarded
My plane —
Maybe it was the fear
Of losing myself again.

That enlarged with
Every breath —
Maybe it was the fear
Of feeling fearless to death.
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