/ɪnˈfəːnəʊ/
Noun
1a very intense and uncontrolled fire 2A place or condition suggestive of hell, especially with respect to human suffering or death
It is the desire to be set free, from the raging fire
of emotions that confine her as she struggles to conform.
She is limited by the tether of the social expectations.
It is the guilt that is carried in her purse, for letting
the family friend who tried to touch her walk free.
How many charred and tainted childhoods is she responsible for?
It is the fear that restricts her breath, in the smoky haze
face pressed against the musty seat of the old caravan.
The road to her school, her freedom, is broken.
It is the sorrow that hits, when her hand lays flat
on an emptied womb carrying the embers of a female life.
Her stretch marks are the battle scars from the war she lost.
It is the anger that emerges when realization dawns, she is
trapped in a society that feeds on her flaws and insecurities.
They ignite the illusion that women are not worthy, the weaker sex.
It is the paranoia that knocks on lonely nights, searing her mind
as every blaring horn becomes a sinister laugh.
Her knuckles turn white as they grip the keys a little tighter.
It is the strength of the raging inferno, a reflection of
the flames that try to silence her spirit seen in her eyes.
She will burn your bones to the ashes she rises from.
Riya Yadav has just entered her junior year of high school, and has written for a few anthologies and student magazines before. Apart from writing and reading, she enjoys watching romcoms with her six-year-old German Shepherd.