A Question For the Audience

We were strangers, all,
yet the gallery was warm
with laughter and tears
shared in the same room.

It is only my sheer
lack of resilience, I know,
but I find less joy in theatre,
now that it is on Zoom.

I called myself an actor,
but here I am, trying to make sense
of decisions made a year ago,
when the sorrow we show
was of make-believe.

The ship is sinking
and so the musicians must play,
but I apologise: my heart
finds it difficult to strike a chord
with yours, if we are to ‘meet’
on Zoom.

People are gasping for breath
and struggling to stay afloat.
Now I squint my eyes and ask,
does my art help you? Should I
continue?

Divij Choudhary is an undergraduate student of media and communication at Christ University, Bangalore. He says his thoughts are most often conflicted.

Featured image credit: John Noonan/Unsplash