By Shreyans Nilvarna

The journey of a lifetime is a story of an internal journey of realization through a literal journey around the world. This is from the point of view of a young adult who in the middle of his life realizes that the world is not what he seems to have understood it to be. The journey moves from confusion to reality and then through metaphorical hell and heaven. It will follow the realities of today’s world through a series of poems.

1. Existence – The question of who?

I grew through these roots,
A gentle journey,
A journey creating so many,
“Who are you?”, asked somebody.

For the heart of the rain forest,
I am an animal.
In the eyes of the bearded children of Ganges,
I am a saint amongst all.

Touching the ground, aiming for the sky,
I found myself in Mecca.
Lighting candles on the Altar,
I am a traveler from afar.

Running through the desert,
I am the future of the Pyramids.
And in the high mountains,
I reach out to the peaks.

I also represent anyone,
On the receiving end of the torture you give,
I am the nightmare you fell asleep,
And woke up in it,
Perfect time to have some remorse,
To show for your sins,
No, it’s hopeless,
I am the denial you’re endlessly in,
But you refuse to believe,
Here we go all over again.

I am an Indian, a German, a French,
I am a Hindu, A Muslim, a Christian,
I am the creator, the destroyer,
I am everything except a human.
The world takes me in,

But on the inside, I’ll always be an outsider.

2. Omnipresence

Somewhere a part of me,
Is breaking away slowly,
Burning cries in deep rubble,
Tears draining the earth,
The piercing daggers in my back,
Somewhere I bleed through my hat,
A part of me is alive though,
The one that’s made of gold,
Trying to survive the ferocious pain,
Everything is unchanged,
A part of my soul dies every day,
There’s a reason for that somewhere,
The cold is warm,
The green is gone,
The wings that met the blue,
Find it hard to move,
A few take the lead,
Others wait to be fed,
How can I survive this way,
When I die a little each day?
Buried in so deep,
I can only hear the world shouting,
Everyone walking for themselves,
Stocking up their own shelves,
No one stands for all,
Can we ever change it all?
As the world turns,
And another part of me burns,
I vow to breathe life into death,
Bring life back from the dead.

3. The love that exists

Holding you in my arms,
In the little times,
I’ve been around the sun,
I’ve searched for someone to love,
I think I’m lost,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

Throwing my heart off the edge,
Looking at your aging soul,
The heart that beats outside the door,
It’s wounded,
Easily, brutally cartooned it,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

But it still beats to the rhythm,
For the dance of the others,
Your tears flow through the deserts,
The trees sway through the wind,
It’s easy to be lost in you,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

There’s a devil in you,
Making hell in heaven,
Run into my arms,
Maybe he’ll destroy himself,
It’s easy for him to be lethal,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

We’ll mend your soul,
We’ll keep you together,
In the dark,
I’ll give you stars,
To keep you alive,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

Catching my breath again,
Watching you smile,
I see the pain behind those eyes,
With my throat choked with guilt,
I sell my soul for you,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

A traction,
Gravity towards the other,
Afraid of the blues,
In my universe,
You are the world I choose,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again,

When the love for you rises,
The eyes will shine again,
Now stay in my arms my love,
I’ll keep you safe,
I look for the answers,
And I look in your eyes,
Again and again.

I am Shreyans Nilvarna and I am from India. I first started writing poetry when I was 7 but it was a very simple style of writing. I picked it up again at the age of 14 and I have not looked back since then. I have written over 300 poems and have even published a collection of my work titled ‘Meraki’. I currently study Sport Business and Innovation but have an active interest in writing now and then. An interesting thing is that I write all my poems in a single flow. Almost all of them are unedited and are the first draft as I had written them. I like to use my words to help word down a feeling, an emotion, or just make people happy!