By Gautam Raman
I go on
In the rain,
The storm howling in my face,
Winds I cannot hear, raindrops I cannot feel,
I go on.
Only my thoughts I can hear,
“Keep walking. Don’t stop!
Ignore that uneasy feeling, and
Advance!” Listening to these echoes,
Mindlessly, aimlessly,
I go on.
I will not stop, I cannot stop.
I must not falter. No need to rush.
One step at a time. Slowly, carefully,
Not knowing why, but terrified of stopping,
I go on.
All alone, no one in sight,
Of course, this was only expected.
The people I have helped, wanting nothing in return,
Watch me struggle from the shadows, uncaring but fascinated.
“Ah! I didn’t know that shoulders could be this cold!” I exclaim,
As, pummelled by the storm,
I go on.
When will my journey end?
I can only keep moving.
It’s all I’ve been taught,
“Keep moving! Keep smiling!
Don’t think, don’t rest, keep struggling and
One day it will all be worth it! You will reach paradise!
Stand still and you will be nothing!”
So, I will rest only when my bones give out.
And thus, refusing to let my feelings crack the smile plastered on my face
Away from a past of nothing, and towards a bright future of nothingness,
I go on.