What matters most to you, and why?

We’ve each voiced our answer, yet distinct our refrain,
In our chorus, no echo mirrored the same.
Some with hearts set to heal, uplift in their flight,
Others ablaze, guiding, steering the light.
Many adrift, in thought, they’re keen,
Pondering deeply what the path might mean.

A leap in time, to a year now past,
When we, a mosaic, aspirations vast,
Stepped into an odyssey, shared and bold,
Uniting under dreams, new and untold.

From every corner, paths of life we stride,
A mosaic of feelings, within us abide.
Anxieties, hopes, and dreams so twined,
With loved shadows, echoes of those we find.
Partners, ex-lovers, families, a tapestry bright,
Threads woven into a home, day and night.

This year, compressed and bursting at the seams,
With travels, textbooks, and in-between dreams.
Our Instagram stories, friends’ envy ignite,
In frenetic parties, our college days rewrite.

Yet, in the quiet lulls between calendar invites,
Anxiety whispers, unsettling the nights.
Questions surface, unbidden, yet stark:
“Am I fulfilling my role, hitting the mark?
Do I resonate with others, do I truly belong?
What future awaits, in life’s ongoing song?”

“Was it worth the journey, this intricate dance?
Did I carve my path, or leave it to chance?
Would I tread this road again, knowing its span?
Am I now a reflection of my truest plan?”

Answers elude me, like stars in the night,
Not meant to be held, just glimpsed in their flight.
Yet, therein lies the beauty, the heart of this quest,
In the uncharted waters of self-discovery, we’re blessed.
Pushed by unseen currents, pulled by unknown hands,
In this crucible of change, stronger I stand.
Unveiling layers of self, previously unknown,
In this dance of life, how splendidly I’ve grown.

Beside me now stand, friends incredible and true,
New threads in my tapestry, in the most vivid hue.
Woven into my life, memories we beget,
In the fabric of time, never to forget.

Editor: Kha-ai Nguyen-Wilk