Gaganpreet Kaur
INDIA - USA
The Masked Philosopher

seven rejections from seven
PhD programs—
it’s all you ever wanted to do

there is no plan B,
you refuse to compromise

you, who bails before it can
hurt you

you are standing
before me now, smile of a stoic
as if this is a temporary setback,
as if you are Sylvia Plath
and never mind seven
seventeen rejections won’t break your spirit

but it must hurt—
like a punch in the wall,
like being dumped,
the icy water pricking your skin
before you begin to drown,
like dreamless sleep

it must hurt like nothing
you ever knew
because when the stoic fades
you resemble Icarus in the moment of his fall,
not fighting, not reaching
because he cannot 
comprehend

 

Copyright, Gaganpreet Kaur.
All rights reserved by author.