Alone in a Crowd: A Poem by Dr. Mallika Tripathi

Amidst the multitude, I am an apparition,
An ephemeral wraith in a sea of indifferent souls.
Not a tender heart perceives my presence
Or senses the depths of my anguish.
My gaze, laden with unshed tears, surveys the throng,
Finding no solace but the omnipresent specter of despondency
That ensnares and devours my spirit.

In vain, I endeavour to stifle the torrent of my emotions,
Yet the tears cascade unbidden, an unrelenting deluge.
My eyes seek the suitor who abandoned me to this desolate crowd,
To endure the harrowing solitude that gnaws at my psyche.

Bereft and tormented, I am ensnared
By the agonising reality of my isolation,
The stark realisation that I stand solitary amid a sea of humanity.
My lament, silent yet piercing, is a testament to the cruelty and apathy
That surrounds me—every face a mask of dispassion,
Each person a thrall to their insatiable desires.

Confronted by these demons of indifference,
I am suffused with the stark and bitter understanding
Of what it truly means to be alone in a crowd.
In the end, the relentless tide of despair sweeps me away,
Consumed by the inexorable darkness,
My spirit crushed beneath the weight of callous world.