So I Move On. Poem by Ankur Shrivastava

I look back
To see crowded roads
I left long ago,
Friends who deserted me
without a goodbye,
And gestures of kindness
From strangers.
'No looking back' I say
and move on.

Withered with thirst,
Tired, shattered and broken,
I look back again...
My mommy's lullaby,
My papa's strong shoulders,
My growing up, my first step,
My first failure, bruised knees,
Tears mixed with sand,
'No more tears', I hear
And move on.

Before a steep road,
Stony and lonely,
With roadblocks all around,
I take a sigh and close my eyes...
I see my first date,
The blush on her cheeks,
My hasty voice,
Sweet nothings we wishpered,
The taste of her lips.

Suddenly I am shaken to truth,
In haunted solitude,
No one besides me.

I look inside...
So many memories
Yet i feel empty, drained, lost...
Voices fade away,
And breath is caught in my lungs,
Visions blurr...

I look ahead and
With a little shake of head,
A shrug of shoulders,
Clinched fist,
One giant stride
I move on.