They clap our backs, nod their heads
Look down and distant smile
When we tug at their t-shirts
And ask to be heard

Their gazes wander, and block their ears
Sneak a look at the television
They sit us down, telling us to talk
And in between, stand up when their phones ring

They tell us that you will do great things some day
That the world rests upon your hands
You will climb to the top and pull each other up
But keep pushing us down instead

They tell us that you are the future
And dive out of our thoughts
They think it is an excuse
For sizing us up, and declaring us not enough

Not yet, they say. Not now, they murmur
Have you ever thought that
We don't want to be the future
Because we need to be the present?

That we don't want to lead the world
But instead, just live in it?

That before we want to do things that are great
We just want to live in a world that is?

I stared at my canvas,
Unshakable, proud and bold
I swirled the colours around
And my story, I told

I started out with rose
Pouring my love
I added some white
The colour of my dove

I sprinkled some sky
Calling me wise
And a touch of yellow
For the sun to rise

I worked on it for days
And months and years
I wanted it to be perfect
The life I held so dear

Finally, one night
As bright as a ray
I felt complete
I stepped away

Staring back at me
Was my smile

Unsuspecting, we rode the oceans
Wildly mysterious, and beautifully free
Blinded as we were, we laughed
And smiled as we dared the breeze

We never saw the waves coming
Not till we drowned in their hold
Not till we fought and struggled
And grappled for air, all alone and cold

Slowly, we learned to breathe underwater
And breath by breath, we eased into this life
We swam and we frolicked, delighted by these wonders
And, we started enjoying this fleeting dive

Months have passed now, and we remain underwater
Each day passes, the 'now' ordinary
We have done what we never imagined
And at night, we lie content with the usual beauty

But deep in the hearts and minds as we lie,
Our thoughts wander off to the day we would surface then
Maybe tomorrow or maybe centuries it might be
Before we laugh and smile, as we ride the oceans again