BY ARCHIT POTNIS
I
There’s no one on the streets now,
Nay, not even those ‘palsied’ few;
No one out in the fields now,
Not even a man, or a woman, or two.
There’s nobody out in the rain —
Only the sorrowed You;
For everyone has given up now,
Except the will of You.
II
The town has gone silent now,
There’s not a sound of a footstep or two;
No bawls or cries in those alleys now,
Only those of the weeping You.
There’s not a crowd ’round town —
Nay, nobody’s cheering or rooting for You;
Everyone has lost their hope now,
Except the will of You.
III
There are no more bows or crowns for You now,
Only the weight of a solemn head —
No voices to say ‘Well done!’ aloud,
Only whispers from your bed.
You’re drifting away, so fragile, so slight,
Hanging on by a tenuous thread;
There’s almost nothing left in sight now,
Except the will of You.
IV
There’s nothing but darkness left now,
You’re the only one feeling the blues.
They’ve axed your caricature off it’s pedestal,
Nay, it’s no more new.
There’s no one to hold You from falling,
Except your own nerves and sinew;
For everyone’s made their mind up against you now,
Except the will of You.
V
You’ve come up smelling roses,
And the earth has come anew.
There’s surely no one on the streets now,
(Don’t worry, they’re not dead)
Everyone’s just having your celebratory stew.
They’re making garlands for You now,
But they’ve certainly forgotten what You did —
Your blood, sweat and tears
Are all off the grid.
VI
You’ve made them all merry —
And everyone’s celebrating You;
There’s a lot of faces surrounding You,
Most of which You never knew.
You’re the king for now,
If not for all, for but a few;
That is, until You tumble down that downcast ladder
And lose the faith, of quite a few.
VII
You will have realised by now
That the world is but a mighty challenge
And people are not who they seem.
But if You turn that mirror inwards,
Focus on yourself, stay humble and keep going,
And if You strive to seek the real truth,
You will have conquered yourself, the world and everything else that’s in it,
Yes, all thanks to the will that stayed true.
Lovely.