A day before my 51st Diwali,
The brightest day of the year,
I slowly walked on my way home,
with a charred soul and a lump in my throat,
Past the tall, stately, brightly lit office building,
Staring back at me with sneering, arrogant eyes,
Reminding me of my smallness,
The dust on my shoes,
Of my neglected home,
Of all those terrible choices I made,
Decisions that brought me here,
Of half a decade spent in college,
Working hard to learn things
That I can no longer recall;
Of all those dull, monotonous hours I now spend,
Doing things that give no joy...
But I have no choice at present.
No idea where I will be
On my 52nd eve of Diwali,
The brightest day of the year...
Probably another tall, stately, brightly lit office building,
Staring back at me with sneering, arrogant eyes.
This one made me sad. That's where the success of this poem lies. charred soul and a lump in my throat, or Staring back at me with sneering, arrogant eyes, Reminding me of my smallness, these words evoke a strong melancholic mood. Its ironic that during festivals many people feel unhappy. During that time we tend to miss those more whom we have lost or sometimes we can feel lonely even when we are surrounded by people. Full vote
The poem evokes sadness in the readers' mind, as they come across the poignant thoughts of the poet: 'Reminding me of my smallness, The dust on my shoes, Of my neglected home, Of all those terrible choices I made, Decisions that brought me here'. A very well composed poem that eloquently describes the poet's melancholy mood on a day of celebrations!
Thanks for such a wonderful comment, Khairul! I truly appreciate it.
great write, little bit heart wrenching, very emotional write.i read so many times.my eyes become moist.(chokhe jol ese gelo je)
Extremely insightful poem. When a person is satisfied and happy, every day is a celebration. Otherwise, celebrating a festival itself seems to be a farce. Thanks, Jasbir ji, for sharing.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
This is brilliantly penned emotional poem from memory and perception presented here about Diwali. From smallness to greatness proceeding towards light with eagerness is great....10
Thanks, Kumarmani, for your kind words.