Life

Once Life was a firefly

Oh! The thrill and the joy I had in catching it.

On dark nights in the misty thicket of my backyard

I saw that little light popping here and there as if by magic.

Holding my catch carefully in my cupped hands

I was mesmerized by the twinkle emanating from its body.

All the mysteries of the world of which I knew nothing about

Were contained in its golden womb.

Its accidental flight from my little hands

Was never too far to catch it again.

I was a willing player in its game of hide and seek.

In my youth I flew on its wings

Like a mighty eagle soaring high

Even the sky in its infinity was too small

To contain me

In my grip was the life

And to catch a phrase from Upanishad it felt like

“I am the stimulator of the tree of Universe

My glory is high as peaks of mountain…

Imperishable and undecaying am I.”

Today I feel like an ass

Carrying the heavy yoke of passions and desires,

A struggle weary traveler dragging its feet towards the unknown

Where mysterious fireflies still take birth. 

With my head bent downward I sense an impeller in me
Moving along with curious out look for the path-
Life's burning never stops
But frailty seeks for a resting place.