Small Things

By Shanaya Stephens

Small Things is a collection of 17 poems that revolve around the themes of - pain, perspective and past. The book is divided into three parts: Grey Pebbles, Blue Boxes, and Pink Ribbons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shanaya Stephens
• Release date: Jul 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223411956

Shanaya Stephens

Shanaya Stephens is an aspiring young adult and teen fiction writer from Vadodara, Gujarat, India. She is author of four poetry collections- 'Vagabond', 'Modern Aphrodite', 'Love Gospel Be thy Queen', 'Small Things', and a novel-'The Bucketlist'. She is a Wattpad writer, and writes under the username- pea0buttersandwich. Her writings are deeply influenced by slam word artist, and renowned poet - Andrea Gibson, and Neil Hilborn. She is the recipient of Gold Award in Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition (2022) in Senior Category. She also emerged as the winner of 'Christmas Contest 2.0' organised by the internationally acclaimed, GOI recognised Inkzoid Foundation and received an honourable mention in 'Inkzoid Book Of Records' for her feat. Instagram: shanaya_stephens_ Email: [e-mail]

Book preview

Part-1

Grey Pebbles

(pain)

"The more you carry, the heavier it gets."

anxiety

Anxiety finds me naked

In shower on a 2am morning,

With no prior notice

Yelling its way through my shower cap,

Telling me I haven't checked the porch lights,

They maybe still on,

It leaves me with

Foam on my neck,

And my skin is no more

The scent of the soap,

It's the soap itself

It cleanses on every good thing

That touches it

Eating it up, morsel by morsel,

I can almost see the molecules of it

Enveloping the hope, and then

I splash water on it,

Loads and loads, as it

Leaves me breathless close to my kitchen sink,

Sweaty beads on my forehead

Palpitating the thoughts

Freshly brewed out of my

Panic machine,

Boy, I am gonna be late

For a date, late for a date,

Late for a date,

Late for a date,

And I keep thinking about it

Till I am late for the date.

I reach for the zip of the dress,

Almost sure I won't fit in,

I have burly thighs,

My makeup is too much,

Should I brush my teeth once more

So that I smell like peppermint toothpaste

By the time we are really kissing,

Or is that I am really doing wishful thinking

My hands bundle up,

My jaw crunches,

The brush grinding against my teeth,

My palate reminding me

I could only grow two set for one lifetime,

Boy, I know, I know,

My face tells me I am ugly,

And it's only six p.m,

I am gonna be late,

I can see it coming,

The thought crushing my insides,

Screw it, my fingers hammering the screen,

Hoping he would cancel,

And he doesn't, he doesn't,

He doesn't, and he does as he pleases,

I am the one running late,

Fuck, I scream, my hand through

The rummage,

the tagged eye pencil,

The mascara that still couldn't make me look in

My own eye,

Let alone others,

I am gonna be