Life Reflects In And Out Poem by Alufa Oke Joshua

Once in a while, let silence speak—
Not the noise, not the crowd,
But the hush that wraps around your thoughts
And asks you softly:
'Where are you now? '
'Where were you then? '

Trace the lines from now to a year ago,
Measure growth not in gold,
But in peace, in purpose,
In the joy that found you
—Or the one that's lost.

Don't chase stars or study skies,
No need for rocket science here.
Just be real.
Be raw.
Be ready
To go deep...
And if the soul permits,
Go deeper still.

Look around you—
These faces, these voices,
These shiny new things—
Are they watering your roots,
Or stealing your bloom?

If the answer stings,
Don't be afraid to turn around.
Return to the garden
Where joy was planted,
To the rooms that echoed with laughter,
To the hands that never let go.

And when time stretches a hand toward you,
Take it.
Put on your thinking cap,
Or scribble on your thinking pad—
Moments then.
Moments now.
Which ones made you feel more alive?

In that mirror of memory and meaning,
You'll find the truth:
The road is yours.
The choice is yours.
And so is the power to walk it.