What Is Life? Poem by Praveen Kumar In Shobha Priya

What is life,
Who moves it forward
For what an end,
From where and how,
Who designed it all,
How long will it go,
Whom should I ask?

Philosophers show east,
Scientists suggest west,
Religions look high up,
Spiritualists, deep down,
Nihilists prove naught,
Nowhere anyone meet;
For aeons all struggled,
Knocked night after night
And found no daylight.

Life is bright light
Wrapped in darkness,
Specks of little stars
In infinite night sky;
Relief of islets
On ocean's endless spread;
Darkness is womb
That springs bright light,
Darkness is tomb
Where bright light, buried,
Darkness is the limit
Light can't reach out;
Darkness is mother,
Darkness, her lap,
Where light shines bright;
How can a child outgrow
A mother's tender care?

Life cradles in darkness,
Life crawls in darkness,
Life as bright light
Safe in darkness' hands;
Who can explore darkness
But in rhyme less chimera?
Who can trace truth's light
Deep in the dark womb?

It's a ceaseless endeavour,
It's a doomed endeavour;
Mother of all endeavour,
Man toiled for from aeons.