No, Thanks! by Ankit Raj

They show me a ghastly mirror.
A dwindling reflection
From a distant day ahead,
When I am rendered useless
For lack of trying,
Apparently.

They examine my heart,
Feeling for fault lines
And feelings at fault.
Then bring the axe down,
Swinging sans merci
‘Till cracks appear.

But what if I break the jinx?
What if I refuse to age?
Let us say that I plant my blatant denial
To listen to the cautionary tale.
I shall have all the time in the world
To chase my muse, sweetly,
At my own pace.

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Ankit Raj is a former software engineer and rock band frontman from Chapra, Bihar, India. He teaches English at Government College Gharaunda, Karnal and is a PhD candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. Ankit's research articles have appeared in Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction (Routledge), ANQ (Routledge) and The Explicator (Routledge), and he has poems published/forthcoming in Brave Voices Magazine, Seafront Press and Discretionary Love. Find him on Twitter @ankit_raj01