by Samantha Mok
Art by Theone Tiu
You’re staring at the future.
And it stares hauntingly back.
Transparent yet opaque,
So vague yet so clear, so far away
Indefinitely defined.Y
ou try to reach for it
So, you move. A second, an hour, a day, a year
You move towards it, whether a tiptoe or a stride.
Is what’s at your feet a minefield or a flowerbed?
You know not. Nor do you have a choice.
You move towards it, yearning to know what it is.
And for every drag of your feet,
Every storm and sun you encounter,
Every person you meet, every candle you blow,
Every flame you start when the stars aren’t enough to guide you,
Every moment you make, every beat of your heart,
Every drop of tears and blood you shed, you neglect the fact
That the future merely mirrors the present, each move a reflection.
That what you make today is what you are tomorrow.
That the present’s a container, and the future water,
Only following along its shape.
And only by carving the present will you know what’s to come.
So, no matter what, the future will still be indefinite,
Still unclear, still vague, still unknown.
But what you know is definite is what’s now.
And you are the future you seek.