'AGAIN'

Here I go again,

not with a fresh notebook in hand,

but a borrowed page from my partner.

Not with a fresh start,

but from the middle of everything

unfinished to-do lists,

songs stuck in my head,

in the cold classroom.

From the middle bench

of the class I barely survived,

doodling hearts, clouds, flowers,

drawing stick figures and mandalas,

like I could sketch my way

into a new beginning.

This isn’t a comeback.

Nor a grand restart.

It’s just me,

showing up again

with glue-stuck fingers,

a half-working pen,

and a mind with a fresh perspective.

With wavy lines on my notes,

and high scores in the margin,

I begin again,

not because I’m ready,

I don't think I ever will be completely ready,

but I begin because I’m still here.

Still trying,

Still choosing to begin,

again.

I don’t know how this will go,

or what the end will look like,

but here I go again,

remembering everything that led me here

not the perfect starts,

but the in-betweens.

Maybe new beginnings,

don’t necessarily have to start with fresh pages,

sometimes they start

in familiar places,

with old friends by your side,

new ones yet to be made,

but with a slightly more determined self.

Here I go again.

Written by: Saina Chakraborty