By: Sahilpreet Kaur

We know it’s not meant to last,
Then why ruminate on the past ?
Dirt-smitten bodies, shallow souls,
trauma-drenched bones
One day will end in soil
And sweet death will summon,
Lift us in comfortable hands,
Dreams, toils all morphed into sand.

Ambitions, worries, happiness and all
Are not meant to be end-all and be-all.
Mystic threads untie a knot,
Liberate us from a strenuous lot.
Ethereal vistas, drowning slumps,
No matter, you will be dumped.

Ups and downs, thicks and thins,
Childhood nostalgia, colourful grins,
The grazes on knees, the ultimate woes,
Will be gone with the wind’s blow.
We wander through seasons unaware,
Adorning time with borrowed care

Hearts entwined in passing scenes,
Trusting fate in fragile means.
Certainties crumble without a sound,
Silent shifts beneath the ground;
What feels anchored, firm, and vast
Is but a shadow that cannot last.

Footprints fade where we once stood,
Intentions lost in misunderstood;
Nothing lingers, none can stay,
All are travellers of a transient way.
Guests are not meant to last,
Then why ponder the future-cast ?

About the Poet: Sahilpreet Kaur is an aspiring writer hailing from a small village in Punjab. While quiet by nature, she is remarkably “loud” on paper, where she attempts to transform fleeting, complex emotions into evocative poetry. For Sahilpreet, writing serves as a sanctuary, a safe space to explore and articulate the deep-seated feelings that are often difficult to explain.

This poem was featured on Poetic Expressions 4.0 — our flagship poetry recital event.