Loving Oneself

I have only barely been able to love myself
When my skin is young and supple;
My body weightless on my feet.

It makes me wonder, how much I shall despise myself
When crinkles harden my face and my flesh barely holds together;
My body, an unmoving weight.

I am barely able to live now
When my days extend beyond count
And hope dwells at every corner.

It makes me wonder, what will become of me
When I can count the remaining hours on ten fingers
And my eyes have lost their light.

If love and hope don’t come with age
I do not know
How people pull through another day.

Shrishti Sinha is a final year student at Azim Premji University. Her Instagram is @shrish.coffee

Featured image: Kenrick Mills/Unsplash