Kalebe Kossi Numedo's short

Before words, sound. Before understanding, feeling. Before growth, waiting. ​This is an unfolding of existence. From a cry as the only language, a voice rises. At first, the world responds with wonder, but awareness brings the weight of expectation. What began as love transforms into pressure. ​Caught in a maze, expression meets resistance. Questions are met with a haunting refrain: patience… relax… wait. Yet time moves without urgency, unconcerned with the desire to become more. ​The patterns persist into the world of work. Patience is praised, but progress feels delayed. ​What does it truly mean to grow? ​This lyrical work explores the struggle between who we are and who we are told to be. For anyone defined by time, this is a mirror.