Hero with a Backstory

By Kanishkaa Seerangan

Posted on March 1, 2023

Cover Image Title: Pandora's Box

Cover Image by: EK

Classification: Digital Art

Specifications: Resized from 3000 x 3000 pixels, 600 dpi

Year: 2023

wisdom can move

mountains. power can change directions

kindness can change lives.

but nothing

can change the past, which is a heavy

brick

we are forced to

carry behind us.

some carry it with such pride

honour

and dignity that a serpent’s

vicious

evil poison

envy and jealousy instead affects the ones who

haven’t

had the best-of-times.

instead affects the ones who

haven’t

had their circumstances in control

Instead affects the ones who

bit the apple

broke a mirror

flew too close

to the sun

whose only gift

was pandora’s box

misery

endless suffering

the seven-

the seven

the names they were called

lost cause

the stories they were told

the nightmares they had

the look they were given

the look they gave others

but the ones who can carry such

a burden behind their backs

and has succumbed to the

greatest of greats

by rising above those who are full of

wrong doings

and bad deeds

the ones that have truly seen it all, and will

go through it all again just for the

good

of someone else,

those people,

those people,

those people

(pandora’s box-

- there is still hope)

are also, heroes. a hero with a

horrible story

a villain

Descriptions:

Picture the main character, a brave and strong warrior, off to defeat his mortal enemy with his bare hands. Or a teenager about to start high school, already rivaling the popular kids. Even a wizard who finds out he is part of an ancient prophecy that foretells an epic battle that determines his fate. We have all heard these stories before, as most movies, books, and T.V. shows show only the protagonist’s point-of-view. We all know Cinderella’s happily-ever-after; but has any of us ever given thought to the stepmother and her upbringing? Hopefully, this little poem sheds light on these characters, who I believe are ignored or simply misunderstood. There are always two sides, or more, of one story, each worth hearing, no matter what.

[ * The End * ]

Editor's Notes:

This poem innovatively employs large space internally to force the readers to ponder whether what we are told by pop cultures - now and then - are complete stories and imply the author's answer to this question: No, they are very broken. The focus of the poem is placed on the "dark side" when some characters are polarized on the extreme of being and acting evil, to justify the impossible opposite extreme where the protagonist is glorified as being and acting good. Many of us take cultural polarization for granted. What if we fall into the dark pit one day for an absurd reason we do not know but feel angry about? Readers can come up with their own answers. This poem is powerfully thought-provoking. - Writing Editor: J.Y.