A quiet morning walk in the rain becomes an unexpected journey inward, reminding us that life is not always about moving faster or reaching farther. Sometimes, the greatest discovery is simply learning to pause, notice, and recognise ourselves again.

Time never pauses—
yet sometimes,
it slows enough
for a listening heart.

Walking Beside Time

This morning was different,
because
I did not walk alone.

The rain held my hand,
the breeze whispered
forgotten songs,
and Time—
old, patient Time—
matched my quiet steps.

The sky wore
a robe of silver clouds,
while trembling leaves
offered tiny prayers
to the waiting earth.

Each raindrop
became a memory,
each breath
a quiet thanksgiving.

For once,
I was not counting steps,
measuring distance,
or wondering
how much farther I had to go.

I was simply walking.

And somewhere
between the whispering trees
and the rhythm of rain,
I began to hear
a quieter voice—

my own.

I realized
how often I had hurried
through beautiful mornings,
how many sunsets
I had watched
without truly seeing,
how many moments
I had postponed
for a tomorrow
that never promised to come.

Perhaps life
was never asking me
to run faster.

Perhaps
it was asking me
to notice.

The rain slowed.
The breeze softened.

A few drops
trembled on a leaf
before surrendering
to the earth.

I stood still
and watched them fall.

And in that small moment,
I understood—

we do not always need
a new destination.

Sometimes,
we simply need
to be present
where our feet already are.

So I walked on,

not to conquer the road,
not to outrun Time,
but to discover
the quiet person
waiting within me.

And for the first time,
I did not feel
that Time was leaving me behind.

It was walking beside me—

slowly,
silently,

like an old friend
who had been waiting
to recognise me again.

(Vijay Verma)
 www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: kavita

Tags: #creativity, #emotion, #Life, #poem, #wellness, books, fiction, short-story, writing