The applause died down
The bright lights went off one by one; the last of the shutters came down
His hunger and thirst told him he cannot wait, keep looking on
He just took a step
And he walked on.

The lonely road was calling him, it was dark and long
Through the tears he could not see the future
He just knew he had to be strong
He thought he was alone in his journey
But his past and present came along

He wanted to stride, but he just dragged on
The ugly grinning faces of past and present, he saw
They held him back, they weighed him down
He tried shaking them off for a while, but they held on
He just took another step.
And he walked on

He was down today, he was once strong and proud
He built, he decorated, and he had created dreams for others
Today he was walking, hungry and he was dirty in torn shroud
He asked for help and he was told, you got to be self sufficient and be on your own
He wondered where he went wrong for he was always on his own
He understood, his past was winning again. Not letting him go on
He was determined. He took another step
And he walked on

Alongside the road flowed a river. The past and present pushed him on
‘Drown and stop the pain, there is no point in going on’
They asked, ‘Can you see your future? Can you see a dawn?
He dipped his toe, felt the flow and wondered, why does the river flow?
In the ocean it shall lose itself, does it not know?
He realized. He was him, till he was on the move.
He stepped back. Forward, he took another step.
And he walked on

Fatigue, hungry, poverty, neglect. That’s all I got.
Can’t get any worse, that’s what he thought.
And then came a fierce storm, taking all his remaining in its path.
A tiny house offered him shelter and solace from the wrath
From the window he saw a broken nest lying on the ground
The bird picked the twigs one by one and built its home again
He thought, why can’t I do the same, why must I stay in pain?
He got up and just took another step.
And he walked on

He lost count of time as he walked on
Dusk brought more darkness, he prayed for a dawn
The shadows faded, bright new faces emerged, admiring him and cheering
They said, ‘you are a champ! You survived the storm! You have walked so long!’
Such applauses were not new for him, he knew it would pass on
He cherished it for a while and took another step.
And he walked on.

And then he saw familiar faces, faces happy and kind
Among the faces were his family, his friends and neighbors who he had left behind
He forgot them, they never did. They were always around.
He saw that the past was gone, the present was a picture of new sights and sound
He could now see the future, he wanted to reach it now.
The dusk was behind for a while, it was the breaking dawn.
He took rapid steps.
And he walked on