In a very unfortunate event last week, one of my friends left for her heavenly abode. We all were left shocked at the sudden death of such a lively, kind hearted and cheerful soul. A talented artist and an ever-smiling personality, she was certainly a person who will be missed for years to come and will remain alive in our hearts.
Her death prompted me to pen down these lines as I imagined her on her last journey.
She came;
Quietly, She came and gazed at me
I did not recognize her; failed to recall
Had I met her before? Who opened the door?
I really couldn’t be sure
She gracefully adorned the white
No expressions to reveal her state of mind
Serene and poised;
As an angel from paradise,
“Who was She,” I still couldn’t comprehend
“Come with me,” She said with an appeasing smile
Her divine grace, like a ray of sunshine
Her arms awaiting an embrace with life
The radiance in her eyes, soon sealed my sight
“Who are You,” I questioned the One; the One oozing light
“I’ve come to take you home,” whispered She
Her dew like words fondled my heart
How awestruck I was, mesmerized by Her charm
“You belong to another world,” asserted She
“Let me escort you on the path unidentified.”
“Another world? No, No!” said I,
Apprehending a jolt to my world, my life
I quickly shrugged off Her charisma that had me tied
“My world is here- with my family so dear,”
“How can I desert my kids, so young in life?”
“Your count of breath has dwindled to zilch,” alleged She
“I want to liberate your soul from all woes and glee.”
I shivered as She murmured with alluring conviction
Images of kith and kin, my blessings and my sins
My entire life flashed as lightning on a stormy night
“My dreams unattained, my desires unquenched,
My plans for future too, need some nurture and daylight”
“My son not old enough, my daughter still in teens,
They haven’t even learned to differ noble from vice”
“Can’t the other world wait for some more time?” questioned I in trembling voice
“Let’s end the cycle of wait, here and now my dear,” She reasoned
“No dreams, no passions, no possessions, no relations,
An eternal peace is what you’ll experience in void.”
“Ah peace! Peace I would feel when I observe my kids grow,” retorted I
“How could I be at peace, when I’ll see them miserably strive”
My plea, my reasons, my arguments unheeded
Glimpses of the Universe, I noticed in cornea of Her eyes
“Let me say goodbye to my loved ones, just one last time,” implored I
I froze the moment She touched my forehead
I could argue no more; the rhythm of my heart, I could hear no more!
©Vandana Bhasin
