Free—Day Fifteen of NaPoWriMo 2021

Your arrival to this world is a joyous one,
Playfully laden with burps, pukes, and the occasional tantrum.
The adventurous first steps, the adorable first words;
But for how long does this innocence run?

Nursery rhymes and numbers, modest first steps,
To academia, a stream of tests and grades.
A determinant of future, they’re told to be,
A slave to the grade book, that each year you see.

The onset of adulthood sees a change.
Career, prospects, life in range;
In the rut, maybe you failed to realise,
That only did your shackles and bonds change.

A hunger for money, a craving for status.
The human ambition of progression and drive.
A bigger paycheck and the corner office,
As slowly yet quick, the years of prime fade away.

And so it goes till retirement is at your door,
Money and time suddenly at your disposal.
But maybe not strength and not health—
Your weakness is the final cage, your body is claiming its debt.

How long before you’re far gone, you wonder.
When was it that this fast-paced world consumed you?
What could’ve been, if your breaks were longer,
And you paid heed to the relaxed world and its serene view?

Written by Rithik Talwar for MTTN

Featured Image by Arvin Das for MTTN