Another mile! Is it worth the sweat?
Or worth a thought, in a laidback mind
With no regret, he squared each debt
His creed became, his daily grind!

Wasn’t he a child, the soul of awe?
Who climbed the tree, to see the hive?
Got stung in heart, until he saw
That pain is the way, to be alive

Wasn’t he the boy, acne-shy?
Who ran 10 miles, to prove a point?
He sold his sleeps, for a dream to buy
Said, “Won’t let life, to disappoint”

Yes! He was the kiss of puberty
Estranged to the boy, but not the zing
With poise, served heart, to Doherty
Smirked,” Ah! I made life, a riotous fling”!

What matrimony brought, and took away
Is the man summarized, you see today
What’s life beyond, errands, that flay?
A man who bloomed once, now turning gray!

Kids came along! Ah! A man, beyond doubt!
From one, to half, to one third, to a fourth
Shrunk his own stake, in his life’s sell-out!
Solitude won’t sell! His own, henceforth

A child went on, to father a child, one day
He lost in way, those joys, dreams, and the drive in between
A coolie now, bears a toll and toils his way
Why be a living tomb, a monument in the making, unseen?

Was it meant to be this, or a mere, matter of choice?
We live to regret, or regret to live, as our hearts misgive?
That we choose to sway, in the wave of world, defy soul’s voice
Become shadows of phantoms; a presence blurred; when we stop to live!

© 2015 Vikas Chandra