As the evening shadows grow longer
When light beams ebb slowly down the West
I sit by my desk with one eye tilted to the past
The other straining into future,
Like Janus, more conscious of change and time
A pilgrim in the long road of life
I'm about to enter my journey's end
When death visits to claim my life
I'll bow in perfect acquiescence
How often I am governed by a queer thought
That Death should come and summon me
Before I grow too frail to be a burden on myself
And on all those who are close to me
When I am gone, share among yourselves
All that I have saved over the years
I don't have much to offer in cash or kind
Except some trinkets and a few pieces of jewellery
Besides, I have in my shelf a few books of verse
Jotted down now and then
Dipping my pen in my life blood
Putting forth thoughts that whispered to me
In the enormity of my solitude
Which I deem more precious than all my possessions
Where you'll hear the faint beatings of my heart
In perfect love and of free will
I leave these behind for you to share equally
Once death has claimed my life, bury me all in white
As a symbol of the purity of soul I tried to maintain
With white blossoms covering my coffin
And this, you carve on the grave where I sleep;
"In this tomb, under the canopy of the sky
Lies someone, though a small fry
Had a heart as big as a mountain high
Who with songs of love, every soul did tie"
Awaiting the dawn of 1000th poem.Happy evening in the world of poetry-
Indeed, the legacy of a poet is carried onto his posterity in the form of his poetry. " Canopy of the sky" is a quintessential example of ethereal nature imagery. I'm rapt by the way you contrive your poems with hues of mother nature nuancing it.
In this tomb, under the canopy of the sky Lies someone, though a small fry Had a heart as big as a mountain high Who with songs of love, every soul did tie" Without a carving anywhere everybody knows that you are a person with a mountain high heart.
For a poet nothing is more valuable than her writings - -It is quite natural that she is more concerned about their preservation.The last stanza takes my breath away- - " In this tomb, under the canopy of the sky Lies someone, though a small fry Had a heart as big as a mountain high Who with songs of love, every soul did tie" - - -A great poem from a great poetess of our time.
Thank you Bharati! As poets, our poems are our greatest assets that we bequeath to the posterity! Appreciate your generous words of praise!
So emotional, so touching and so powerful - - - - It is as if I am going through all these emotions- - -As we age, pains and aches capture our body - - -Our reflexes slow down- -Sad and depressive thoughts cross our mind- - Death is inevitable- - -But as with aging the questions like how to face death, what will happen to all the possessions we treasure now come to our mind.Part-1)
This is a poets poem, one I think a writer understands, that words are the memories of what we were. Wonderful poem Valsa. your immortality is guaranteed.
Thanks a lot Kevin for your wonderful response to my poem. You being a poet, know the value of words that come out from our pen! May our words be remembered and valued even after we are gone.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
A lovely poem beautifully penned. Thoughts of death perhaps are universal, young or old, and they let you in touch with some of life's nuggets of gold.
Thank you sir! Yes, thoughts of death makes us brood over some of the urgencies of life.