From cradle to coffin, as I was told,
Life meant “surviving” till one is old.
Learning and struggling is the path to gold,
Like one had a price tag and marked “Sold”.
The basics of life were defined as food, clothing, shelter,
“Achieve this!” even if the mind goes helter-skelter.
And when one has “achieved”, it still doesn’t stop there
The competition engulfs all, even if one says “I don’t care!”
Then there is “someone” who preaches the “path to life”
“You can’t question Him; you can’t have a mental strife!”
“Money is no good, looks don’t matter; competing is bad”
“Give it all to Him, even if that makes you sad.”
One tries to make happy this end and that end,
One cheats, “survives” and lets his integrity bend.
Day by day killing the INNATE BEING within,
Just to satisfy someone “who is recording a sin”.
Then one fine morning, nothing makes sense
One looks deeper to see emptiness intense.
The powers that be deem one unsocial and unfit
One has to prove his “character” with an affidavit?
One wonders “I followed all the rules and did as “they” said”
“Why am I questioned if I take an off and once decide to be on bed”
“I “survived”; I struggled; I played blindfolded as I was told”
{The reply}
“Well, YOU didn’t question then and hence marked “Sold””
Life meant “surviving” till one is old.
Learning and struggling is the path to gold,
Like one had a price tag and marked “Sold”.
The basics of life were defined as food, clothing, shelter,
“Achieve this!” even if the mind goes helter-skelter.
And when one has “achieved”, it still doesn’t stop there
The competition engulfs all, even if one says “I don’t care!”
Then there is “someone” who preaches the “path to life”
“You can’t question Him; you can’t have a mental strife!”
“Money is no good, looks don’t matter; competing is bad”
“Give it all to Him, even if that makes you sad.”
One tries to make happy this end and that end,
One cheats, “survives” and lets his integrity bend.
Day by day killing the INNATE BEING within,
Just to satisfy someone “who is recording a sin”.
Then one fine morning, nothing makes sense
One looks deeper to see emptiness intense.
The powers that be deem one unsocial and unfit
One has to prove his “character” with an affidavit?
One wonders “I followed all the rules and did as “they” said”
“Why am I questioned if I take an off and once decide to be on bed”
“I “survived”; I struggled; I played blindfolded as I was told”
{The reply}
“Well, YOU didn’t question then and hence marked “Sold””
2 comments:
arpita,
finally u put up something, and its excellent! i cant find better words to put across what u just did.. bravo
WoW!
So profound yet so simple! Its true what you just expressed in your poem, Arpita!
Since our childhood we are conditioned to be better than someone, at something and what not!
The child within us, fights all this conditioning with all its might but then, "what does a child know?", comes back the reply and when we are on the wrong side of the scale, we realize "the child" was right after all.
There was no need to run. It was all within and we just had to believe in our questions!
Arpita, your poems are true gems and I cherish them with my life!
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