Up above this ground,
distant yet bound;
Guiding thro' the night,
calming and bright.
Tethered for eternity,
cursed by destiny;
Burdened by duty,
O shackled beauty!
Behind the veil of white,
what pain do you hide?
Pristine teardrop in the sky,
no one to hear you sigh.
My soul, my phoenix
Braving the games of fate,
Walking on thorned paths
Not a surrender to date.
Destiny's next move,
Not heard, not seen, not felt,
But the last straw it is,
Placed gently on my soul's pelt.
No more tears to shed,
My anaesthetized soul,
Beaten, bruised and broken
Never again be whole.
Marching, white flag aloft,
No desire for flight or fight,
An eternal dreamless slumber,
The only panacea, my soul's right.
The sun rose.
The moon shone.
Birds sang.
Flowers bloomed.
Winds blew.
Waters flowed.
Clocks ticked away.
Men buzzed by.
My toils futile.
My bonds brittle.
My loves fragile.
Not a thing paused,
Not a soul changed,
Not a beat missed,
The day I died.
Hold my hand for a while.
Let the leaving warmth of my body
Comfort you one last time.
Hug me tight while my blood,
Your blood, still runs in my veins.
Don't cover my face yet -
My last breath hangs in the air still,
Caressing your face and hair.
Put me down gently;
Light my pyre with love,
As you would a diwali lamp.
Stay away from the flames,
Lest a rogue spark touches you.
Don't watch my body burn.
Save yourself the pain.
Leave before the end.
Don't look back.
Don't turn back.
Know you are loved.
Know you will be watched.
Don't weep for me;
This was meant to be.
Just don't bid me farewell yet.
A birth and a death
bound my life,
Strong I stood
against all strife.
Treasures I gathered
day and night,
Victories I chased
with all my might.
Friends I made,
Family I built,
Name I made,
Coffers I filled.
My precious trinkets
lay covered in dust,
Name and victories fading,
And wealth untouched.
Friends and family
shed a few tears.
Grief healed, memories fogged
by the passing years.
Alone and empty-handed,
My burning pyre, I stare
Ashes to ashes it is,
I leave without a care.
This has always been one of my favorite poems. But, since the last few days, I have not been able to get this poem out of my head...
The path untrodden,
The road not taken,
Where'd you have led me?
What'd you have made me?
Ever so alluring,
Forever conjuring,
Images radiant and glad
Of a future never had.
Secret accomplice of fate,
Destiny's masochistic mate,
Granting hope to tortured souls,
And torturing souls with hopefuls.
The path untrodden,
The road not taken,
Endless, day and night,
Always cruelly bright.
O Death, you brute,
I wonder what you are -
His deliverer of justice
Or the devil's errand boy,
I wonder who you are.
O Death, you sadist,
Why do you come a-calling?
What pleases you the most -
The smell of fear,
The chill of despair,
The silent shrieks of helplessness,
The gasps of grief?
Do you jump with glee
As you ambush me mid-breath?
O Death, be merciful,
Spare me a handful of moments
To steal a last glance,
To bid a final farewell,
Home and hearth, kith and kin,
I leave behind with nothing,
Trusting fickle memories of men
To bear witness to my spent life.
O Death, my one true soulmate,
Stand by me, steady me,
As I embrace the void,
Unburdened, unfettered., unmasked.
When I die, let me be.
Keep away the saffron wolves.
Shoo away the crocodiles.
It's always been me and you;
Let the same be now.
My virtues, my vices,
My badges of honor.
I need no rites,
I need no arbiter,
I'll meet my maker
As He deems fit.
Don't mourn me,
Don't grieve me.
Don't celebrate me.
I need no wake,
I need no tears.
Hold me with my good and my bad
In a sunlit corner of your heart.
Live life, take flight,
Unfettered by sorrow.
When I die, just let me be.
