#quarterlifecrisis poems

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

Oh, Mr. Poet, so lost in your haze,
Chasing the smoke of your endless malaise.
You sit in the dark, like some tortured sage,
Kicking pebbles while you're trapped in your cage.

With every cigarette, you seek to ignite,
The spark of hope that just won't take flight.
But, darling, don't you see the truth that’s clear?
You’re just a dreamer with a bottle of fear.

You talk of heroes, but where’s your cape?
You’re more likely to trip on the stairs of fate.
A good deed here, a spark of light—
But, oops, it’s gone by the time you get it right.

Family calls, “We believe in you!”
Yet, you’re still in bed at half-past two.
Not saving the world, just saving the crumbs,
Wondering why the universe won’t give you some.

So, go on, sit beneath that endless sky,
Kick those pebbles, maybe even try to fly.
But at the end of the day, the truth’s on display—
You’re just a poet with a lighter, stuck in the gray.

#poetryroast #existentialstruggles #lostdreamer #cigaretteandthoughts #unlitsparks #melancholyhumor #selfreflection #dreamersdilemma #quarterlifecrisis #toughlove

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

A New Dawn

The morning spills through the cracked window,
soft gold brushing against tired skin.
Eyes blink open—not heavy, not lost,
but lighter, as if the night
left with the smoke of yesterday.

No rush, no dread—just breath.
A stretch, a pause, the quiet hum
of a world still turning,
and for the first time in a while,
he wants to turn with it.

The phone buzzes. A name on the screen—
Dad.

He hesitates, then answers.
A familiar voice, steady, warm.
"Son, I just wanted to say... I believe in you."

A lump in his throat,
not of sadness, but something softer—
a thread pulling him back home,
back to himself.

He stands, looks in the mirror.
Not a lost boy, not a failure—
just a man, still walking, still trying.

The city hums as he steps out,
the weight of yesterday left behind.
A crisp shirt, a quiet smile,
the rhythm of feet moving forward.

A new day.
A new fight.
And this time,
he knows he’s not alone.

#newbeginnings #hope #freshstart #familysupport #findingpurpose #quarterlifecrisis #innerstrength #believeinyourself #movingforward #sunriseofchange

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

A Spark in the Dark

He sits on the cold pavement,
back against the world,
eyes lost in a sky too vast,
too indifferent to a boy
who once dreamed of touching it.

The cigarette flickers between his fingers,
a quiet rebellion, a silent scream.
Smoke coils like memories—
of failures, of love lost,
of roads that led nowhere.

Maybe this is all there is—
a tired soul, an empty night,
a battle no one sees.

Then, a voice—soft yet firm.
"Got a light?"

He looks up, startled.
A stranger, wrapped in the wind,
eyes carrying storms of their own.

"You look like a man
who’s been running from himself,"
the stranger says, lighting his own cigarette.
"But the thing about running—
it never gets you anywhere."

A pause. A knowing glance.
"Maybe it’s time you walked instead."

The words settle like embers in his chest.
For the first time in a long time,
he exhales without regret.

The cigarette burns,
but tonight, so does something else—
a spark, a reason.

He stands up,
dusts off the weight of yesterday,
and starts walking forward

#findinghope #struggleswithin #silentbattles #unseenguidance #newbeginnings #lostbutfighting #quarterlifecrisis #cigaretteandthoughts #angelindisguise #innerstrength

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

The Unseen Hero

The cigarette burns low between my lips,
flickering like a dying star.
I have nothing—no job, no purpose,
just weary feet and a mind too loud.

Then I see him—
a man, old, bent by time,
struggling with a bag too heavy
for hands that once built dreams.

For a moment, I hesitate—
what can I offer when my own pockets are empty?
But hands are not meant just to take,
so I lift the weight from his shoulders,
feel its burden shift onto mine.

He looks up, eyes filled with something unspoken,
a silent gratitude heavier than gold.
No applause, no grand reward—
just the quiet knowing
that sometimes, heroes walk unseen.

I drop my cigarette,
watch it fade into the dust.
For the first time in a while,
I don’t feel empty.

I feel enough.

#unseenhero #smallactsofkindness #selflesshelp #strugglesandstrength #everydayhero #humanity #lostbutnotbroken #hopeindarkness #findingpurpose #quarterlifecrisis

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

Walking the Edge

The streets stretch empty,
silent but for my footsteps—
rhythmic, restless,
kicking pebbles that go nowhere,
like me.

Smoke curls from my lips,
a ghostly whisper dissolving
before it can answer
the questions I never say aloud.

The night doesn’t scare me—
I’ve made peace with shadows,
with streetlights flickering like old dreams.
But the darkness inside?
That’s a beast with my name on its tongue.

I walk faster,
as if the wind might strip me clean,
as if somewhere ahead,
there’s a version of me
who knows how to stop running.

But for now,
I take another drag,
watch the ember burn,
and keep moving.

#lonelywalks #innerdemons #nightthoughts #fearofself #cigarettesmoke #restlessmind #darknessinside #struggleswithin #lostandsearching #quarterlifecrisis

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

A Cigarette Between Life and Her

The match trembles between my fingers,
a silent war in a room too still.
Smoke or breath—what matters now?
The weight of nothingness, the weight of her.

She lingers like an unfinished line,
half a whisper, half a wound.
A memory blurred at the edges,
but sharp enough to cut through the dark.

Did she ever love me, or just the idea?
A boy with dreams too heavy to hold,
an engineer of castles in air,
a builder of futures that never came.

Outside, the night hums with indifference.
Inside, I weigh the lighter’s click
against the echo of her voice—
soft, pleading, unbearably distant.

I could fade with the smoke,
or chase the sun she once pointed to.
Between life and her,
I choose to breathe.

#loveandloss #unfinishedstories #lifechoices #heartbreak #melancholy #hope #quarterlifecrisis #emotionalstruggle #findingpurpose #lostinthoughts

Lalit Kumar Feb 28

The Engineer’s Lament

In a room where books pile high,
Echoes of dreams refuse to die.
A restless mind, a weary soul,
At twenty-four, still chasing a goal.

Through the window, the world spins fast,
A blur of futures, a ghost of past.
The sun dips low, the sky turns red,
Yet here I sit, lost in my head.

Lines of code and circuits bright,
Mock me softly in the dimming light.
A degree framed, but dust collects,
On promises life won’t protect.

I reach for a cigarette, pause mid-air,
What would it change? Who would care?
The smoke might dance, the ember glow,
But answers? No, they never show.

Dreams cost time, and time runs thin,
A battle fought but hard to win.
Yet somewhere deep, a spark remains,
A quiet fire, defying chains.

So I let the match slip from my hand,
Breathe in deep, and make a stand.
Not today, I tell the night—
Not today, I'll lose this fight.

#poetry #engineerlife #unemployment #dreamsvsreality #lostinthoughts #melancholy #hope #struggles #lifereflections #quarterlifecrisis

Peter Gerstenmaier Aug 2024

Quarter life crisis

I used to be bold and fearless
Annoyingly self assured
Daydreaming about greatness
Telling everyone about how
Someday I'd rule the world.

Those days are long gone
Making me feel like a hollow shell
A mere shadow of my former self
And life became all about
Playing a role I simply can't fit
Fooling everyone...
But me

Will this anguish and emptiness ever go away?

#quarterlifecrisis #fooling #pretending

Ritz Writes Mar 2020

An Ode to my Heart

Dear fragile heart of mine, thank you for understanding my passionate soul that lingers on finding joy amidst the mundane activity of everyday chores. Our heart became our beacon of hope which secretly made us to fall in love with what life has to offer and yet like an elastic rubber, it mends the shattered pieces again. Dear careless heart of mine, every time I wept and choked up my silent tears with covered face on pillows; ashamed to accept the fact that I was at my weakest point, somewhere down the line, it taught me to hold on because I am not going to give in easily to rejection, I still need to HOPE. As I embark on my adventures to unfold, it gave me the resilience to bear and believe in myself. The world reminded me always saying, " don't let emotions overpower your intelligence." But forgot to inculcate the bitter truth, "to be human is to be vulnerable" as well. The child within me still yearn
for the melody that my heart sang, dancing in joy and still believing to be humane enough. I felt the pain, I empathise with others and wore my heart on sleeves. By embracing who I am gave me the chance to breathe with no fear of what lies ahead.
Perhaps, someday I will find my missing puzzle and connect the dots I had been trying to trace for years of surviving the phase called heartbreak.
💫

We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” ~ Albert Einstein 🍁

#heart #memory #life #love #emotion #existentialism #quarterlifecrisis #hope