The Dream Traveller”

Royal Club for Literature and Peace 

The Dream Traveller”

Sanjay Singh

“The Dream Traveller”

Life...

What a puzzle it is, oh—

a riddle that refuses to be solved,

even by those who carry

books of wisdom under their arms

and wrinkles of experience on their faces.

Sometimes, it cracks open

like a joke whispered by fate—

you laugh,

even as your ribs ache from sorrow.

Sometimes, it pours from your eyes

without warning,

and the crowd watches your tears

like a street play—

clapping for the tragedy they’ll never admit they feel.

There are mornings

when the mind doesn’t wake up—

the body rises,

the tea boils,

the door opens to another routine day...

but inside,

everything lies curled up in shadows,

motionless,

chasing dreams that have long vanished

like kites cut loose in a storm.

And there walks the dream traveller—

barefoot,

with eyes full of skies

that no longer open for him.

He doesn’t know where he’ll end up—

his dreams have no address anymore,

and the stars that once guided him

have turned into streetlights

blinking in mockery.

Once, there were fairs here,

vibrant with laughter,

bangles clinking, hearts dancing—

happiness and sorrow walked hand in hand,

drinking from the same teacup.

People met, broke, rebuilt—

and life seemed full, even in its brokenness.

But now,

they’ve all chosen silence—

not peace, but surrender.

They’ve hung their words like worn-out clothes

on memory’s line,

and turned away.

Where will they go,

alone like this,

with empty hands

and hearts echoing with half-finished songs?

Maybe nowhere.

Maybe everywhere.

That’s the irony—

in a life full of noise,

sometimes the deepest truths

are wrapped in silence.

Sanjay Singh

documentation:  Waffaa Badarneh