The Flight of Belief

In a small courtyard of dust and clay,
A quiet dream was born one day,
Beneath a fragile, broken roof,
She measured skies with silent proof.

By lantern’s dim and trembling light,
Her books became her wings at night,
Though means were small and roads were tough,
Her heart declared, “I am enough.”

They laughed and said, “This path’s too high,
You’ll never touch that distant sky.”
But deep within, her spirit replied,
“My flight is stronger than your pride.”

First came failure, sharp and cold,
Her name not written, as she’d hoped,
The list was out — her dream denied,
A silent storm she held inside.

Dark was the night, heavy her chest,
Questions rose without a rest,
Yet through the silence, soft and clear,
A voice whispered, “You’re stronger than fear.”

She tried again — and fell once more,
Three small marks had closed the door,
Exhausted, broken, she asked the air,
“Is fate itself being unfair?”

But wiping tears, she chose to stand,
Turned defeat into guiding hand,
Made failure teacher, pain her guide,
And built new courage deep inside.

Now study wasn’t hope alone,
Discipline had fully grown,
Through burning nights and silent cries,
Belief became her inner rise.

And when at last results were shown,
Her shining name was finally known,
That moment wasn’t just success —
It was years of fearless steadfastness.

A city new, a wider stage,
Comparison began its cage,
But this time she had truly learned —
Not every mirror must be turned.

Upon the stage when she spoke her truth,
Of village dust and dreaming youth,
Her words were roots, her voice was flame,
Her struggle now her strength became.

Her goals grew vast, her vision wide,
Not just success, but change inside,
She didn’t want a crown or fame —
She wanted systems not the same.

Again exams stood in her way,
Three small marks delayed the day,
But this time she did not fall apart —
A fiercer fire filled her heart.

“I am unfinished, not undone,”
She wrote before the rising sun,
And once again she faced the fight,
Challenged fate with patient might.

At last her name in final grace
Was carved upon that chosen place,
That win was more than rank or role —
It was the triumph of her soul.

Her first day seated in that chair,
Responsibility filled the air,
She vowed not power, nor empty sign —
But service honest and divine.

Pressures came and bribes appeared,
Threats were whispered, doubts were feared,
But mother’s anklet, father’s sweat —
Were promises she won’t forget.

Schools once silent rang with cheer,
Girls now dreamed without their fear,
A child asked softly, eyes alight —
“Ma’am, can I also take that flight?”

She smiled and looked toward the sky,
Remembered days she used to cry,
A flight is not how high you soar —
It’s how you change the world you were.

Now standing where the stars still gleam,
She knows the worth of every dream,
For fear has quietly stepped aside —
And faith now walks with steady stride.

Belief is not a magic art,
Nor luck that plays a random part,
It’s the heartbeat of those who rise,
Who fall — yet still claim their skies.

Whoever trusts their inner flame,
Can shape the world, can change the game,
A spark of faith, however small,
Can build a sky beyond it all.
                                          - Sulakshana Dutta