ONLY IF !!

They call it love, but it comes with chains,

A sweetened lie wrapped tight in pains.

It smiles, it soothes, it gently lures—

Then measures worth by what endures.

You’ll be loved only if you Top,

Only if you win the race,

Hide your cracks, wear your mask,

Never show your real face.

You’ll be loved only if you obey,

Don’t raise a voice, don’t dare to stray.

Question, and you’re defiant—

Silent, and you’re saint.

You’ll be loved only if you’re beautiful,

Skin-deep charm, the flawless kind,

As if love can’t see the soul,

Only the body you leave behind.

You’ll be loved only if you're respectful,

But not in truth—just in hush.

Bow down to egos swollen wide,

Even when your dreams are crushed.

You’ll be loved only if you’re innocent,

Naïve and sweet, untouched by fire,

But wisdom's scars, life's messy truth,

Make you a liar in their choir.

Parents, friends, husbands, wives—

All with their scales and silent knives.

Love comes with rules, dressed in disguise,

A gilded cage, where freedom dies.

And this—this is not love at all.

It’s a trade, a trap, a velvet thrall.

A slow unraveling of the self,

A theft disguised as something else.

They talk of unconditional love,

But where is it in flesh and bone?

It floats like myth, like whispered prayer,

But leaves you, always, all alone.

Shiv Shakti Sunaina

University of Jammu

FAINT MEMORIES

How do we now face?

The memories that we chase

The moments that we crave

Are those still safe?

Do we think about those often?

Or are those locked in a cage?

Thinking about the lost laughters

Does your heart acts brave?

Or the precious time makes your mood change?

Those golden days were a full moon in the dark night

But now the faces are off the sight

The love and affection is still to be found

The lost laughter hurts like a wound

Being together is a therapy we need

Cuz those bonds were away from any greed

The faint memories makes the heart race

Do they still remember us?

Is a question to be raised

And even if they not ,will they try?

Try to remember the bond that died

We are still together ,though in faint memories.

Do they still remember the bond we made?

That has now somehow fade....

Akshara Sharma

Jammu

Magic Of Nature

The beauty of stars and the night sky

can heal the souls which are laboured and wry.

Gone were the days I cried.

Do you know why?

Because nature healed me

It gave me contentment and peace.

Every downpour was an eyewitness

Of the ambitions written on my face

and the silent vow held with pride.

Sometimes life is uncertain

Before, I didn’t know why.

But now as I realize

I know why.

It was never uncertain,

Everything is for a reason.

The enchantment of the moon,

left me truly bewitched.

These are God’s plans.

Everything is for a reason

Everything is for a reason

It’s the magic of nature

Somya Khajuria

Jammu