Tuesday, April 18, 2006

A tear to shed ...

My friend Vishwanath remarked that some of my poems were 'unselfish' in nature. On the contrary, almost every one revolved around me (such a selfish soul I am!!). So I thought of writing something besides my own life. (btw i have also changed my mind since none of the earlier ones achieved their 'secondary' motives). Did I ever care to think beyond 'my' life. I do it daily, but then this care is just momentary..Here's how I felt on hearing about the recent Meerut accident, claiming 10s of lives and injuring hundreds...

Do I not have a tear to shed?
For these ailing bodies, for these dead.
The corpses, uncared for, lie here,
Charred to death and mourned by their dear.

Children clinging to their mother's chest
They do not know, in total peace she now rests.
Wives call out their dear's names
Little they know he is already one with the flames.

Why has this happened to them, I ask the Almighty
You have punished not one, but fifty.
They may have been sinners in the past You say,
But such a cruel fate they met; was this a price to pay?

But even in this moment of grief
The leaders mock their death; I'm in utter disbelief.
The dead have to fight even for column space,
Coz stars make headlines, being jailed for 3 days.

My heart cried for them, it was in utter pain,
But it was just for a moment; and thus in vain.
Life moves on and I may not care. But I still ask myself,
Do I not have a tear to shed?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

LOL...u seem to have taken a stray comment of mine to heart...
But whatever be the fuel for writing this poem, WOW.
Did i see a reference to salman khans imprisonment in there?

Unknown said...

dai gr8 poem da...

Sundarram P V said...

i never expected u to be a poet.
neyway tat was a good one.