‘At Heaven’s Gate’
I’m lying on my hospital bed, close eyed,
thinking - is this what a life truly entails?
So many are struggling merely to survive,
their kin making it the purpose of their lives.
Doctors putting in all their might to save lives
but much more to make their lives worthwhile.
Nurses on their toes to provide every comfort,
infusing medicines - also their own livelihood.
Ward-help, go bed-bathing, clearing waste -
so their families are fed, clothed, have beds.
But outside my window the world goes by -
over frivolous desire, jealousy wasting lives.
As relatives and friends don’t see eye to eye -
over other’s beauty, money, well defined lives.
One envies what’s served in destiny's dish,
to others - after ordering safely tried cuisines.
Then they brag about what their children cook
as that’s a delicacy of purposeless livelihoods.
It is laudable to show off children’s winnings,
not own - if you don’t have kids pity your soul.
All this, more I see from my mind’s window -
sedated as I am for days, inside a ventilator.
Doctors, nurses monitoring my every sense,
I can hear - so they allow music on headphones.
Soft music wafts into my ears, also murmurs -
I wonder if it’s angels, welcoming me home.
I stand transfixed, looking at heaven’s gate
in peace, harmony evermore to be embraced.
But God, in his empathy and wise judgment,
closes his door, for me to live and learn more.
So back I am in the world that’s full of woes,
I have to find the right balance to letting go!
—- Shuvashree
This is my contribution on World Poetry Day, today…
The theme for World Poetry Day 2023 is “Always be a poet, even in prose.” This famous line of verse by French poet Charles Baudelaire emphasises the importance of creativity and beauty in all forms of writing, not just poetry.
"A poet’s work to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep."
- Salman Rushdie
World Poetry Day defined:
https://nationaltoday.com/world-poetry-day/
What poetry means to me personally - I’d written this in 2007/08:
https://shuvashreeghosh.wordpress.com/2015/07/29/a-poem-2/
#worldpoetryday #poetrylovers #poetry #wisdom #lifeanddeath
Shuvashree Chowdhury 