Voices: A Reflective Poem

A call to pause more often. A call to cherish meaning more often.

 I hear voices everywhere,

A plant whispers from the cracked earth,

"Oh, look at me, talk to me,"

But I move on with time in dearth.

I hear voices everywhere,

The stars shine waiting for their myths to be heard.

Each twinkle a subtle throb in the universe's heart,

But I move on without a spoken word.

I hear voices everywhere,

A wildflower blooms celebrating its chance to live.

The breeze blows to dance at the sight of life,

But I move on with not even a smile to give.

I hear voices everywhere,

The water in my tumbler brimming with eternal memory,

Yet, I gulp it down in one go, my mind elsewhere,

And move on, thankless, lost in mental allegory.

I hear voices everywhere,

The ethereal dawn glistening life's another chance,

One more of life's expensively free gift,

But I move on too self-absorbed to alter my stance.

I hear voices everywhere,

The clouds dissolve into the returning rain,

Its rhythmic cadence relentlessly calls,

But I move on to the shelters, lest my clothes water-stain.

I hear voices everywhere,

Until I hear only my own soar.

The present lost to the golden future,

And then I hear no more.

Gaurav Chandra Tuli