The twin stars twinkled...
‘And they lived happily ever after.’
No, the world’s not a fairy-tale, dear.
Pockmarked the moon, pockmarked the ground lies;
A little fog and the sun dies;
Whispers the blossom and clouds depart;
The untamed vine grows without art.
How soon sway the moods of season!
Whither goes the spring for ten months?
But isn't life likewise?
Happiness just an episode...
Well, well. But the glass is half-full as well.
Why, the sapling pierces a chilled earth,
Winter over and life animates with mirth.
It’s never the same, and a new day would start,
And the gardener with scissors creates his own art.
So why fear when we stand at land’s end-
Just the two of us?
We need only turn back!
-19/9/00, Calcutta-63

COMMENTS :

The poem concerns the eternal dilemma of whether to consider the glass as half full or half empty. The journey of a thousand mile starts but with a single step. Single drops fill the pitcher and the ocean. This attitude looks at what has already been attained. On the other hand the Chinese coolie thinks of the height that’s still to be traversed, rather than elates over the already traversed. Here the stress is on what is still to be gained. What is the right attitude? Aren’t both right in their own way? Should I not feel elated that I have once held my beloved? Or should I lament over the fact that my love is still unconsummated? Optimism helps, but it is not always there to rescue. At times of rejection, pessimism is a solace. But still, the former attitude helps make life a lot more meaningful: