Grief comes with silent steps,
no noise, no pictures, stays anonymous.
Is it mine, or is it theirs?
who went away leaving empty chairs.
I don’t look for them. No.
I don’t have to, because
they stay inside my head
screaming and grieving their own death.
I close my eyes and hear their voices.
Can I see them? No. But,
What do I do with the image
stuck in my eyes, fighting with me
to not leave them behind.
How do I walk ahead and
still hold their hands?
Grief comes with silent steps,
sticks to my path and never
takes the wrong turn.
Grief comes with small steps
destined to stay in my mind
crumble my heart and
silence my sword.
About the Poetess
This poem was selected as part of the submissions for the LIB Literature Festival 2026, organized by the LIB Literary Chapter in association with The Literary Mirror, under the esteemed patronage and mentorship of IPS Vikas Vaibhav and the able leadership of Jyoti Jha.
The poem has been authored by Anushka Singh Rathore, who is currently pursuing her M.A. in History at Patna Women’s College.
