You just did not notice, I was there all along,
When you tried finding me, in places you never could,
Empty rooms, soulless smiles, place you thought you could unwind,
I was always there, waiting for you to come back,
You did come, but it was too much to fix.

I lost a part of myself while I waited long.
You just did not notice, I was there all along,
I tried to give you signs, but you never cared.
Chipped walls, flickering lights, shards of glass here and there,
Windows fogged then cracked, tired from waiting to be seen.

They say home is a place, but that’s not true,
It is also a feeling, an emotion, something simply irreplaceable,
You just did not notice, I was there all along,
You carry a piece of me, forever by your side,
But why am I, pushed somewhere inside, hard to find?

I stayed behind in pieces, you did not think mattered,
In red sweaters, in dust, in songs you stopped singing,
In memories, in fights, in tears and all the joy,
You just did not notice, I was there all along,
Even forgotten things still remember who they once belonged to.

One day you did, you did come back to me,
Lighter, like the weight had finally gone, you were free,
With opened arms, I welcomed you with all my heart,
You looked around, and you knew you were back home,
You just did not notice, I was there all along.

Vaanya Poddar
Class 7
La Martiniere for Girls