The urge to write

Hundreds of thousands of pages I have read

From the time I learnt to read, I have fed

My brain thousands of nuggets of phrases and sentences

Packaged into stories that still occupy my senses

I have been reading all these years but now I feel

An overwhelming urge to write, to reveal

All the thoughts and emotions swirling through my mind

For the stories stored in my memory, an outlet I want to find..

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When I think about writing, various roadblocks I face

Should I write a memoir or should I fictionalize the characters and place

Should I write in poetry or in prose

What if I open a can of worms I cannot close

What if unwittingly someone’s unseemly secrets I reveal

What if I unearth hidden trauma from which I myself cannot heal..

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So many doubts come up when I try

To write something substantial, that is why

I restrict my writing to short verses that do not

Have to describe in detail my thoughts

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One day I hope I shall gather the courage

To write a long story, page by page…