By Bidita Rahman
I did not come into this world
To kneel before another’s pride,
To beg for love from hardened hearts,
Or let their judgments chart my course.
I was not born to please the crowd,
Nor justify the dreams I chase,
Nor carry every cruel remark
Like shadows that refuse to fade.
Let whispers travel through the wind,
Let bitter tongues pronounce my name;
Their words cannot diminish me,
Their judgments cannot write my fate.
I have no time for borrowed hatred,
No days to squander on hollow praise;
My soul was made for greater journeys,
For loftier peaks and brighter days.
I came to gather wisdom’s light,
To turn my suffering into grace,
To rise beyond my yesterday,
And face my destiny with courage.
I came to learn the art of courage,
To build where others chose to break,
To unearth strength within my silence,
To give far more than I could take.
Let others measure life by applause,
By fleeting power, wealth, or fame;
I seek the wealth of inner freedom,
A soul that will not bow to shame.
For when the final sunset calls,
And earthly victories fade away,
When all my battles turn to silence,
And time has nothing left to say,
I wish to meet the Supreme Power
With neither bitterness nor fear,
But with a smile upon my spirit
And gratitude for every year.
And if I’m asked how I have lived,
May my existence be my reply:
I learned.
I struggled.
I grew.
I achieved.
I loved.
I endured.
And I never surrendered my soul
To the judgments of the world.
I did not live to please humanity.
I lived to honor my humanity.
And when I finally meet eternity,
May I carry no unfinished courage,
No unlived purpose,
Only the quiet grace of a peaceful smile,
And a soul that knows
It truly lived.
© 2026 Bidita Rahman. All rights reserved.
