A heartfelt reflection from an older self to his younger years, this poem gently explores life’s journey through wisdom, loss, love, and growth.

It reminds us that life is not meant to be controlled or rushed, but lived deeply—accepting storms, cherishing simple joys, and finding meaning in every rise and fall along the way.

# Reflections on Life #

If I could walk the road backward,
Through the footprints time has worn,
I would find the young dreamer I once was,
Standing hopeful in the dawn.

I would not come carrying answers,
Nor a map of where to go,
For life is not a puzzle to be solved,
But a river we learn to flow.

I would tell him,
“Do not fear the storms ahead.
Some winds will bend your branches,
But none will break your roots.”

The tears you hide in silence
Will water unseen seeds,
And from your broken places
Will bloom your deepest strengths.

Do not chase every horizon.
Some dreams are meant to change.
Some doors must gently close
To open wider ranges.

The friends who walk beside you now
May not remain till the end,
Yet every soul that shares your path
Leaves a lesson, leaves a friend.

One day the mirror will reveal
Silver threads among your hair,
And you will smile at worries
That once felt hard to bear.

You will find that happiness
Lives in moments small and true—
A child’s laughter,
A shared meal,
A sky of evening blue.

And when life’s evening softly comes,
As it surely does for all,
You will not count what you owned,
But the hearts that heard your call.

So walk on, young traveler,
With courage in your chest.
You need not know the whole journey—
Each season reveals the rest.

And when you reach my age someday,
And look back through years gone by,
You will whisper with gratitude—

“What a beautiful journey it was—
To stumble,
To rise,
To love,
To lose,
To learn,
And still keep reaching for the sky.”

(Vijay Verma)
 www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: kavita

Tags: #creativity, #Emotioms, #Life, #Love, #poem, #poetry, Poem, writing