Belong

By Shreya Bejwani

We romanticize the idea of everything

We run our whole lives

To reach that point where we'll finally have

All that we've been dreaming of

Run, run for

A morning sky painted with the sound of birds;

The smell of coffee and cigarettes

And the flowers that resemble us

Run past

A place where songs are written and dipped in liquor

The calm breeze so deafening you've never heard anything louder

Run to

A place where the sun turns orange

And makes fields look like a golden bridge to heaven

But they never taught us to catch our breath

What will you do once you reach there?

Once again, share a drink with misery filled up to the brink

While the orange sun slowly sinks?

The moon's reflection on the quiet waves

Do you recognize the person staring back at you?

How will you appreciate the infinitesimal details of art when it’s finally before you

When all your life has been a blur?

Stop.

The darkness looks prettier tonight

As if it were caressed by the moon

The planets begin to yawn

The trees crack their backs

The next morning will be a mystery

And one day these mornings will end

So you gently fall asleep as the birds paint another sky

By Shreya Bejwani