VICTIM

He changed my face, not my heart,

He threw acid on my face, not my dreams,

I am not a victim, I am a survivor,

The man who attacked me will cover his face, I won’t,

You will know that I am alive,

Free and thriving and living my dreams.

I learned to live with the physical pain,

What hurt more was the way the society reacted,

My own relatives stopped seeing me as did my friends,

I stayed indoors for eight years,

I ventured out only in a ghunghat.

I can be changed by what happens to me,

I refuse to be reduced by it,

There is no timestamp on trauma,

You can insert yourself into to get from horror to healed,

Be patient,

Take up space,

Let your journey be the balm.

You're not a victim for sharing your story,

You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth,

You never know who needs your light, your warmth and raging courage.