THE GAP IN THE MAP

The gap in my map,

Carried in the pack

On my back,

As I journey toward the ocean.

I cannot reach behind.

For the piece of the map.

I stretch, I grasp,

And bring the map before my eyes.

What is this gap?

I am taken aback!

Do I keep moving with my pack?

Lost in the gaps of the woods,

I question the map I trust.

Am I trapped in the gap plotted on the map?

A map I believe in— so many gaps?

The woods stretch wide, distorting my place,

Yet the map is just a tool in my hands,

Tracking only where I stand.

Step by step, I move into the gap in the map.

Leaves whisper without pain,

The woods part for the uninvited breeze,

The cricketers shout and leap,

Alarming my presence in the gap.

It is not easy to face the silent void,

Holding the deep weight of the night.

Yet I walk forward—

Guided by the moonlight.

With fear in my head and courage in my stride,

I try to fill in the gap with my rap.

Warm blood running through my cold frame,

I roar like a lion, alone,

In the gap made by the woods.

The gap, moved by my rap,

Unfolds before me – revealing the ocean.

Rapping aloud, I race toward the waves,

Stripping my clothes as I dive in.

The ocean raps its waves against the shore,

Claiming every gap on the map.

The sky’s void glows with stars,

And I wonder –

Is the ocean just another gap?

A vast emptiness where land floats,

Dividing continents, separating souls,

A space too vast to chart—

A gap I cannot map.

By - Rakshith Javvaji