Tears were fading out now from the face,
Fixed were their ears on the light they gaze.
They heard what voice said as next,
something so precious, somewhere to text.
"Oh my children! Listen now the secret,
untie your wings as no longer you fret.
Life is spontaneous, in the manner leaf shakes,
leaf thinks it fights, while wind merely plays.
Still tiny leaf stays so badly perturbed,
Wondering of the wind, how can it be curbed?"
~~~
Voice said, "Now my offsprings! I ask you this,
the revelation of a roar, I start by hiss.
Can tiny leaf argue the wind;
or can it offend in a way, or in manner of a kind?
Can it clutch the breeze or the storm,
or can it hide its stature forlorn?
No. Not at-all-this leaf can do,
But still it regrets without a clue?
Leaf would not know when wind will blow,
mightier sometimes and sometimes slow.
Exactly, the same way your life flow;
mightier sometimes and sometimes slow.
~~~
"Thus your life is also spontaneous,
tedious times come and also the tenacious.
My dear child! just think yourself,
Isn't it the same way how leaf dwell?
Can you argue with life,
can you think offending the strife?
Can you clutch sad or happy days,
Can you hide when shamefaced?
How similar you are to leaf, just behold,
isn't it so important, what I told?
Forget controlling, you can't even guess,
even if you quarrel, you only mess.
Who knows what lies in store for you,
wind is a wanderer, passing any way through.
Who knows what happens next? You hear,
next day, next month or upcoming year?
Oh my children, tell me now,
did you understand, it happens how?"
~~~
Face said, "O our master, tell us this,
good you spoke, but not yet bliss.
Are we destined only to lose the strife?
How do we cope with the 'wind of life'?
In our heart, you arouse an eager,
shall we live really so meager?
Does exist there just any answer,
to grant our woes a slight of waiver?"
~~~
Voice smiled again, but no one could see,
as if it was about to make the sorrow flee.
"Yes my sons! The answer exist,
it is so simple without a twist.
Answer is small with no if or but,
it is the same what the new 'tiny leaf' does;
Leaf was tiny but does not remain always,
in course of time it finds better days.
It teaches a lesson that you learn must,
to sooth your nerves in the storm of dust."
~~~
"By the time, more days and nights ring,
'tiny leaf' stops now minding the wind.
Instead, it starts experiencing the blow,
sometimes mightier sometimes slow.
The leaf takes wind, the way it comes;
why waste a life, yielding none?
Later it understands what Almighty thought,
from this Tiny Leaf, what He sought?
He made many tiny leaves just to be shaken,
wind on their faces, bravely to be taken.
Once 'tiny leaf' understands real game,
it stops minding wind and stops the blame.
It confronts the wind, and now not escape,
what purpose Almighty set, it just makes.
Now shivering feels rather more enjoyable;
mightier or slow, strong or feeble."
~~~
"For yourselves", the Voice said, "the human beings...
you not feel sad nor you strain the strings.
Let the wind may come to you,
the way it chooses, what can you do?
Accept life, the way leaf accepts wind,
deaf and dumb, but still it can sing.
Yet, let not your growing anyhow stop,
grow the 'goodness' inside you at the top;
This is what Almighty tells upon you,
sometime then after, you fetch the true.
Very same world which once scared you,
Will get fun now playing with you."
~~~
The voice gave verdict as stronger it went,
many cheering faces, it had turned from bland.
It continued delighting with following words,
sparking confidence and sprucing up the herd.
"By this alone fact that we always knew,
the leaf became stronger by the days it grew.
'Time' proved its mettle in the 'tiny leaf' now,
Which no longer is 'tiny'; becomes a full 'leaf', Wow!
The leaf which was once shivered by the wind,
Forgets the past, thanks 'time' for being so kind.
Leaf and wind any season, any weather,
both now are seen, playing together."
~~~
"And do you know?" Voice sounded jubilant,
"the biggest secret is yet remnant.
Few leaves became the branches of tree,
big enough giving life to more new leaves.
Shaking leaf of past now understood the creed,
witnesses other leaves growing and breed.
One who once learnt 'hard way' playing wind,
now teaches 'how to play' to its own offspring.
And after many springs, when the color gets brown,
the 'tiny leaf' of past gives now a seed to be sown."
~~~
All faces saw new twinkle in their eyes,
they all knew well, it was time to rise.
They thanked by heart the voice and light,
which had brought them the gem insight.
Gone were the days when they lived without pride,
So well they understood now - What is Life.
[These verses were written by Sudhir Mittal in summers of 2012. These have also appeared in his book - The Life You Choose.]
SM Readership and Publications
An initiative of Sudhir Mittal
for publication of Virtuous Books
---------
All rights reserved with:
