Finding my Voice

Author: Anaya Deshmukh

Being 13 is… complicated. One day you feel like a little kid again, the next you’re expected to act like a grown-up. People keep telling you who you should be, how you should look, and what you should achieve, and sometimes it feels like no one really asks how you feel.

That’s why I started writing poetry. For me, poetry is a place where I can say all the things I don’t always have the words for in real life. It’s where I can write about friendship, fights, pressure from school, or how it feels to be changing. It’s also where I can remind myself that even though growing up is hard, it’s also powerful and beautiful.

Now, I’m putting together my first poetry book.

This book is about the feelings we usually keep locked inside:

✨ When you feel invisible in a room full of people.

✨ When you love your friends but still feel left out sometimes.

✨ When you’re proud of who you are, but the world tells you to change.

✨ When you and your mom argue, but deep down you know she’s your safe place.

✨ When you discover strength you didn’t know you had.

💬 Excerpt from the Prologue 💬

“I started this book on a day when I felt small, like my voice didn’t matter. So I wrote to remind myself that even whispers have power. These poems are about me, but I think they’re about you too—about every girl who has ever felt left out, not good enough, or too much all at once. If you ever feel like no one understands, I hope these words remind you that you’re not alone. Our feelings aren’t weaknesses. They’re proof of our courage.”

I want every girl who reads this book to feel seen, the way I feel when I finish a poem and realize—oh, that’s what I was carrying inside me.

This isn’t just my journey. It’s ours. And if even one girl feels stronger, braver, or less alone after reading it, then this book has done its job.

🌸 Because being a daughter of India means being powerful, even when the world doesn’t see it yet. 🌸