Choices

By Rachel Goh

Doors are closing …

Happy energetic voices break the usual silence in the MRT cabin
The other commuters were still glued to their screens, unperturbed
Looking up, I see a group of young people, the studious kind, bespectacled, in T-shirt and jeans, talking excitedly, oblivious to those listening in
I wondered where they were from, the head-start they must have had in life
Talking about university courses of choice …
Discussing scholarship options …
Comparing interview preparations …
Their voices filled with hope, excitement, and anticipation
Must be tough choices when the world is their oyster

Next station, Kent Ridge

The choices we have in life, however many or few,
Are freeing, opens up many possibilities
The decisions we choose to make
Are at the same time trapping, closing doors to other opportunities
The path we each must take
Is a calling, defining our purpose, demanding our time and talents

The train approaching platform B will end its service at the next station.

Coming to the end of a journey
Regretting what could have been
Accepting what is
Realising that no matter what paths we take, all will have to give an account at the final destination