Outbreak

I want to, need to, feel carefree again.

They tell me, “It will be okay”,

but they don’t how,

and they don’t know when.

I want to, need to, sit in a café,

and eat crème brûlée,

and talk to my friends –

not in the digital space,

but face to face!

I want to, need to, feel the warmth of a heartfelt embrace.

Instead of this fraught trot,

I want to engage in light, bright thoughts.

I want to walk past people without worrying

that this might be a risk!

I need to stop replaying this broken disk.

I want to, need to, comfort my friends.

I want to, need to, look them in the eyes,

and tell them, “It will be okay again.”

But I don’t know how,

and I don’t know when.

I want to, need to, step outside.

I don’t want to hide.

All I want, all I need, is one jaunty night.

I want to, need to, sit in the park.

Even after dark,

I don’t want to hurry back home again.

I want to, need to, go out in my favourite dress,

not to impress,

but simply, to have a chance to wear it again.

I want to, need to, feel like myself.

It feels like I’m living the life of somebody else.

- Elena Natroshvili

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ABOUT THE WRITER

The 24-year-old Georgian Poet, Elena Natroshvili, explores the themes of feminism, gender, and mental health in the English language. Due to her deep-rooted connection to her native land and upbringing in a Western country, Elena's poems also thematise the topics of heritage and migration. In her latest project, "16minutepoetry", she's challenged herself to create verse within a set time frame.

Instagram/WordPress/Twitter: 16minutepoetry

NERAK on Instagram: @nerakwrite