The Library of Forgotten Futures

In a corner of time where shadows fall,
There lies a library, silent, tall.
Not built with wood, nor stone, nor beam,
But forged from fragments of every dream.

The shelves stretch wide, the aisles deep,
Where whispers echo and secrets sleep.
Each book upon the dusty rows
Holds a future that no one knows.

The spine of each is worn, yet proud,
Like memories veiled in a thickening cloud.
And in each page, a tale is spun
Of paths that vanished, dreams undone.

There’s one where love was never lost,
Where hearts entwined without a cost,
But fate had turned another way,
And time had stolen their words to say.

A second book, its pages worn,
Tells of an artist, her soul reborn,
Painting visions that danced with light,
But the world was blind to her sight.

Another holds a dream of flight,
A poet’s verses reaching height,
Yet a cruel gust blew her words away,
Leaving only silence where they lay.

Some books are blank, as if erased,
Their futures lost without a trace.
Were they forgotten, or never begun?
Or is it that the past has already won?

A child once dreamed of worlds unseen,
Of castles built where none had been.
Her laughter echoed in the air,
But time swept her dream away, unfair.

A king once ruled with gentle grace,
A kingdom full of love’s embrace,
But power crumbled, shadows grew,
And his reign became a whisper too.

I wander, lost in each refrain,
In lives unlived, in dreams in vain.
For every choice, a future dies,
A thousand could have been, but lies.

The librarian whispers, soft, profound,
"These are the futures that never were found.
Each page a moment left behind,
A vision lost, a dream confined."

But what of me, who stands and sees?
What of the future waiting to be?
For in this library's endless halls,
It’s clear that choice alone enthralls.

Do we walk paths that were once ours,
Or step into the unknown stars?
These books, these stories, they do not bind—
For the future lies in what we choose to find.

So take the book that calls your name,
Step beyond the fear, beyond the blame.
In this library, there is no end,
Just countless dreams to comprehend.

And when you leave, remember this:
The future is not lost in bliss.
It’s built with every choice you make,
In the lives you live, and paths you take.

- Khushi Kaul