Out of Comfort Zone

The last race has been run,

With glory and triumph, the Anthem sung;

The champagne spilt, the accolades deserved,

Humbly accepted the adulation served.

As the curtain falls, the world readies to go,

The celebrations now a receding echo.

The champagnes emptied, the adrenalin down;

Reality dawns with a frightened frown.

Darkness awaits in the unknown future,

Hollow! A vacuum, the heart does nurture.

Through mirrored love and joy have I grown,

But now it’s farewell to my comfort zone.

I cry! I weep! The world disappears.

Oh! What’s to become of this child’s tears?

The empty bottles recall genies of dreams sown -

Empty! For I am here, stranded all alone!

Yet one such genie stands out tall,

And beckons me to spring from my fall:

“It mortifies, but don’t be prone

To weakness; come out of your comfort zone.”

And thus the child grows into a man,

Willing: to voyage for wonders yet in hand,

To start afresh; this time for higher grounds,

For a new romance beyond his bounds.

He moves on to struggle with eager ambition

From the mighty river to the mightier ocean.

He moves out on his own;

Out, out of comfort zone.

- M Waled Aadnan (pH2)