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The way one grows…: A poem by Fatima Afshan

I was born into a dream world.
There were lights, love, beauty, and smiles.
A child in me plucked a flower and smelt it.
When it dried up, I grew.
When I was denied sweets and told 
That bitter medicines were my cure, I grew.
When I had to pay for the love I received, I grew.
When lights changed into embers, I grew.
The more my dreams broke
The more I grew
And the time came
When I learned
The difference between our dreams and reality
The difference between a mirage and oasis,
The difference between love and lust, and the difference between 
Truth and lie,
I was relieved 
I painted myself with the colors of the world.
My perspectives changed and I grew up.