Dear Alchemist

by

What do you do
When you wake up
One fine morning,
Discovering
What you thought
To be your darkness
Was your light all along?
When you find that
Your frigid heart
Has been guarding
Kindlings for you
And has been
Gracefully striking
Your hardened
Regret and misery
To ignite a fire of life?
At the crack
Of a brand-new dawn,
When tears of sorrow
Transmute into joy,
Anxiety into ecstasy,
Depression into expression…
What happens
When you realize
You were the alchemist
You were seeking all along?
When you wake up
To the warmest embrace
And discover that it is your own?
What do you do then?
You finally cease to survive
And begin living instead!

Image credit: Feature image generated with DALL·E using a prompt based on this poem and its themes.
If this piece resonates with you and you’re a visual artist, I’d love to feature your own soul-crafted work in place of the AI image.

From the poetry compilation

Happy Hallucinations

More Poems

Do you remember?

Do you remember?

Do you remember?That lazy summer’s day?When a few sleepy raindropsCradled by the sky,Rolled over and fell downFrom their soft beds?You do remember, don’t you?How they landed on your cheek?How gently you woke them up,With that sweet smile of yours?How the spark in your...

God of Breadcrumbs

God of Breadcrumbs

If I could be a god of anything,I’d be the God of breadcrumbs,Lord and Master of nutshells,Or banana peels-A minor deityOf your forgotten,Neglected,Useless bits of food.Worshipped without knowing,With your unintended offerings,Only to be picked up by ants,Embraced by...

Let it Break a Little

Let it Break a Little

Let your heart break a little. Let the light enter That stale room. Let birds make their nest And mushrooms enroot In those caves. Let ivies crawl up your heartstrings. Let the caterpillars Eat through your pain, Slumber, then Cocoon in your cavity. Let them wake up...

Look within!

Look within!

Look inside!Look within!I know what you see.You see yourselfOn the ocean of your soul.Barely holding onto your raftBeing thrown aroundBy rogue waves.How your bullies onceThrew your bag around after school –A crying monkeyIn the middle … I can see in your face.Storm...

Mirror

Mirror

You’re not a ‘damaged good’. Not to me, at least. You’re alluring In your chaotic grace, A bright candle Daring to burn its brightest On a dark stormy night. The fractal cracks Of your broken heart Radiates with an ardent passion – An incandescent guiding light For...

At last, perfection!

At last, perfection!

I carved my heart into a spoonTo feed you my love, my love.My broken bones fashioned intoRough and rugged forks,So you could swallow my soulServed on my ivory-white skull,Made hollow to carry your pain.I let my tongue under your teeth,My marrow in your drool,And yet,...

Keep in Touch

YouTube

Become a Subscriber

LinkedIn

For professional purposes

TikTok

Follow me!

It’s a Rik Life

Rik Bhattacharja © 2023

All Rights Reserved