Life

It was not a mistake,
Rather, an accident.
May be it was not meant to be,
But it turned out to be.
I couldn't help it.
Things too dear were at stake then,
Now what I've lost seems even greater.
One day when the inevitable happens,
I won't be able to help it either.
Now you need not tell me that's life--
I know it.

War

War- a brutal excuse
To destroy many lives,
To make children orphans, women widows
And men homeless.

War- a small name
For a great disaster
To fill prisons and graveyards,
And to set up new refugee camps.

War- a silly reason
To exploit another's property,
To make profits, to show one's powers,
And to test new weapons.

War- a terrible game
To extend control over the world,
To threaten the Earth and God's creatures,
And the generations to come.

When will man stop killing others,
When will he learn to reason?
When will he honour others' lives,
When will he stop waging wars?

Oh unite against wars, please,
Unite to save fellow lives;
At least resent this violence with all your heart
And join me in this prayer for peace.

If I Die Now

(Because we never know when we'll die)

If I die now,
will you miss me?
will you feel numb and blank?
will you long to hear my voice at times?
will you break down whenever you hear my name?
will you visit my grave often, or at least plan to do so?
will tears well up in your eyes when you hear certain songs?
will you cry to sleep remembering how we used to be so happy together?
will you hide your tears and weep within till your heart breaks out of the agony?
Or will you you break under the pain and join me?

Are you Selfish? Then here's a Lesson for You

 She died so young, that tender girl

An epitome of selflessness

She was so pure, a little pearl

Now her soul is for God to bless.

She was just twelve years old. Mampi Sarkar. A student of Class VI. She lived in a little house in the village of Jharpora, in the Nadia district of West Bengal. She was not brought up with all the comforts a little girl hopes for, but she never complained, as she loved her family very much. Her parents and her siblings meant the world to her.

But when her tiny sphere of love and joy was about to be disturbed by merciless Fate, she was distraught. Her father, Mridul Sarkar was having problems because of his decreasing eyesight. Being a daily labourer, he could not afford proper treatment. As if it was not enough, Mampi's brother Monojit suffered from a damaged kidney. As his other kidney was also weak, his doctor had recommended a kidney transplant. Of course, Mampi was not told any of this distressing news as her parents thought she was too small to understand.

But this little girl overheard her parents talking about their difficulties in getting their son operated. They had requested the MLA for help but they could not be sure of anything. They were helpless. And her little heart ached. She could no bear the thought of losing her beloved brother. As for her father, who will provide for their family if her father became too sick to work?

Mampi resolved to save her brother at any cost. She thought hard on what she could do, and finally came up with a great idea- she would donate her kidney to her brother! It seemed to be the best available option for her. But how could she donate her kidney? Wouldn't she need it for herself? And would her family agree to it? In the end, Mampi found an answer for that too. She would need her kidneys only while she lived. If she died, then she wouldn't need it, right? She wouldn't need her eyes as well. So why not die and donate her eyes to her father and her kidneys to her brother?

She was such a selfless little girl that she did not stop to think of all the things that she would miss in life if she were to end it soon. She loved her family too much to care about her own life. But she was a little girl. She couldn't do everything on her own. So she discussed this idea with her elder sister Manika. She asked her whether she would commit suicide with her, so that their organs can be used to treat their father and brother. But Manika thought her little sister was being silly, talking so crazily. So she dismissed the idea and went to school, and thought no more of the matter.

But Mampi was not kidding. She really wanted to sacrifice herself for her father and brother. She waited for the right time to execute her plan. And when she was alone at home, on 27 June 2011, she wrote down a note requesting her mother to use her organs after her death for her brother and father's treatment. Then she consumed a pesticide 'Thiodon' along with some syrup. She was too small to comprehend death, but she was brave enough to welcome it for a good cause. When she started feeling uneasy, she ran about half a kilometer to tell her father that she had consumed poison.

But by then, she was too sick to tell him the reason. She was taken to a pharmacy and then a local hospital, but nothing could be done to save her life. She died from the hospital. Her body was brought back home and cremated with all due respect and love. Only on the next day did her mother find her note in her room. But by then, it was too late. Mampi had done a great thing, something that only very few would be selfless enough to do, but her sacrifice was in vain. Her dream did not come true... The least we can hope for is that the government helps her family for her father and brother's treatment, so that at least her little soul can rest in peace.

Dearest Friend,

"...thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee."
- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18.


"And thou art dead, as young and fair
As aught of mortal birth;
And form so soft, and charms so rare,
Too soon return'd to Earth!"
-Lord Byron, and Thou art dead, as Young and Fair.


"Her suffering ended with the day,
Yet lived she at its close,
And breathed the long, long night away,
In statue-like repose.
But when the sun in all his state
Illumed the eastern skies,
She passed through Glory's morning gate
And walked in Paradise."
-James Aldrich, A Death-bed.


"To look upon the face of a dead friend
Is hard; but 'tis not more than we can bear
If, haply, we can see peace written there,--
Peace after pain, and welcome so the end,
Whate'er the past, whatever death may send."
-John Chadwick, The Hardest Lot.


"I little care to write her praise,
In truth, I little care that she
Should seem as pure in all her ways,
To others, as she seems to me."
- Alice Cary, My Playmate.


"Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been;"
- Anne Bronte, A Reminiscence.


"I dream of your soft and sorrowful eyes
And I cannot forget."
-Laurence Hope, Unforgotten.

Sixth Anniversary and still Surprised

It was a surprise. I know I should have expected it- it was so inevitable. Yet, it came to be a surprise. It was just another normal day for me. I was sitting at my table, trying to complete my homework before 6 a.m, and I had no other thought in my mind. So naturally, i was surprised when my father came and slipped that day's newspaper in front of me. I ran my eyes over the names on the page(for it was the obituary that dad pointed to) and found none that I knew. May be because I wasn't looking for it. Dad had to point before I found it. There, the very first name in the very first column- Wafa Khaleel. My best friend since kindergarten. Well, I was surprised. I gave the paper back to Dad and continued writing my homework. Dad closed the book and gently patted my shoulder. 'No class today, dear. You can do it later.'

Of course, no class. the school had to honour her, so no class. I went back to my room, not knowing what to do. I was shocked, kind of, numb. I lied down, hugging a pillow. Memories came rushing through my mind but I couldn't cry. Not then, no, I couldn't. But later when I heard my mom sobbing, I felt the first tears welling up in my eyes. I should have expected it, I kept telling myself.Yet, however you expect it, death and birth can be the greatest surprises of your life. Especially when the person who has died is someone close to you, someone too dear to lose. It does not matter that she was ill all those days, very, very ill and almost hoping that death would take her away from all pain. Nothing matters when a dear friend is dragged away by death. It will be the most unpleasant surprise of your life.

And so it was for me. My Wafa, with whom I'd my first lesson. My Wafa, with whom I shared lunch and drew pictures. My Wafa, with whom I played and talked and laughed and cried for about ten years. My Wafa, who had been fighting with one hell of a disease for the last two years of her life... In the end, she lost the battle. She was too tired to fight any longer. After all, blood and bone cancer is not too simple an opponent She lost her life, and I lost the best part of mine.

I cried, but only a little. May be because I was too numb to realize the full impact of the news. Whatever the reason, I cried only a little then.But when I went to her house and saw the body, the loss I was about to suffer struck me completely, and I broke into tears. I sobbed uncontrollably. One of my friends fainted. I don't remember much of what followed. Life went on, though less colourful.

Now, it is July 5 again. Six years had passed since that unfortunate day, but I remember everything clearly as if it was only yesterday that we sat and talked. I remember all the weekend visits when she stopped coming to school. We talked without pause about school, teachers, friends and latest movies. I remember some visits more clearly than others. Certain things are struck in my memory. Like the fact that she liked mangoes and chocolates. And the time I had given her medicines. And how she had always won when we played Chinese  Checkers. And the day she told me how hard she had to try at times to stop from crying out of pain, as she knew it would upset her mother. I remember it all too well... Sometimes, it is a bit difficult to stop the tide of memories. Especially the sweet and sad ones.

They say time is the best healer. Well, I disagree. Years have flown since my dearest friend's departure from this world, but I'm yet to overcome the sorrow. I have lots of friends, but none who can make me forget her(not that I want to forget her). At times I turn to talk to her and when I realize that she is not with me, I feel the fresh stab of pain. Her death was, and is, a surprise for me. The wound is still fresh. And it will always be.

Anger

Have you ever felt so angry that you just feel like screaming at the top of your voice? Or like throwing and breaking everything in your sight? But because you don't want to be labeled mad, you keep your emotions in check and try to be satisfied with slamming doors shut and gritting your teeth. You frantically try to have your inner medicine for anger (not counting from 1 to 25...Sorry, none of that for me, I don't know how anyone can manage to count when they are so angry that they can't think straight.) I prefer taking a deep breath. Breathing in, breathing out. Thinking over and over that being so angry will NOT do any good. Praying somehow this feeling will go way. Then fatigue. Relief seeping in slowly, little by little. Peace at last. They were right when they said that after a storm comes a calm.