They Didn't Spare Me Even After My Death Poem by Nikhil Parekh

When I was just born; witnessing the first rays of brilliant dawn,
swinging innocuously in my rustic cradle; with intricate bells jingling over
my forehead,
they asked me whether I wanted honey or frosty milk.

When I grew a little older; crawling onerously on my spongy pair of feet,
crying effusively; emitting volatile tears from my cheek,
They asked me whether; I wanted a toy; embracing and hoisting me high in
their arms.

When I started going to school; voraciously pedaling my dilapidated bicycle,
Chewing my crimson colored lips; which superbly blended with my babyish
white tinge,
They asked me insistently; about the marks I had secured in my arithmetic paper.

When I scrupulously passed high school; passing with exorbitant marks in a
plethora of subjects,
The surreal days of childhood; now an evanescent memory of the past,
They asked me the arenas I was going to specialize; trying to decode my aptitude towards life.

When I transited to realms of youth; with impetuous blood circulating in slender veins,
Bulging muscles protruding from the flimsy fabric of my knitted shirt,
They asked me; the ways and indispensable means to perspire in the sun and earn.

When I procreated a battalion of progeny of my own,
Devoting infinite hours of the day; catering to their boisterous demands,
They asked me; whether the children were mine or did I adopt them.

When I acquired the form of an old man; with grizzly hair encompassing my scalp,
An ocean of bones drooping in my body; with gaping holes clearly visible as I blatantly opened my mouth,
They asked me; how much I had achieved in the tenure of my life,
Trying to test reserve levels of my prevailing endurance.

And eventually when I departed for my heavenly abode; succumbing to
perils of old age,
The amalgamate of supple flesh and bones in my body; reduced to sacrosanct ash,
They mercilessly asked the cause of my death; the amount of affluence I had accumulated and now safely stored.