Demands galore And I struggle hard to meet them Cope up, come what may. They never cease. This after that and That after this. And it's always their demands, Never mine And I keep on trying to meet them all. So much so, I start anticipating And contemplating actions, Devising ways to balance, It becomes tiring, exhausting As I devote all my energy Ruthlessly and continuously. Somewhere the idea takes root I am a slave Bonded labor- The bond becoming tighter and tighter everyday Cribbing starts, Imagination flourishes But demands do not cease. Eventually the peak is reached And I explode under pressure Uncontrollably, desperately Declaring that no demands will be met anymore A look at their faces and I am stunned The hurt, the surprise, the question Frightened and bewildered streaks Streaming through their eyes. A framework is already taking shape Laden with guilt And woven with future actions How to appease them now And bring them back to the earlier state Realization strikes like lightening, I am not their slave at all. I am a slave of my own mind !
