This is a poem about reclaiming self-worth after the passage of time. It reminds us that wrinkles, changed dreams, and life’s disappointments are not signs of defeat. We may grow older and change along the way, but as long as we are still here, there is still time to love, create, dream, and live.

# But I Am Still Here #

You may insult me,
but you cannot define me.

You may try to humiliate me,
but I will not hand you
the power to decide my worth.

No one can make me feel humiliated
without my permission.

Look at my wrinkles—
they are not signs of defeat.

They are the footprints
of years I have survived.

The doctor I never became
still lives in the part of me
that wants to heal.

The youth I lost
still dances inside my memories.

The dreams that changed
taught me to discover
new dreams.

I may have lost
some battles with time,

but I have not forgotten
to love myself.

So let life take
whatever years remain.

I will fill them
with laughter,
with writing,
with art,
with love,
with passion.

Now, I am older.

Yes, I have changed.

But I am still here—

and I am not finished yet.

(Vijay Verma)
 www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: kavita

Tags: #Aging, #भावना, #creativity, #Life, #Love, #mental health, #poem, #wellness, writing