Death

Amidst all the mourning kin
He stands alone with ghostly pale
Starring stunned with disbelief
At the mystery before him

A day before
 With joyous hearts
They had bid
 Farewell to him
And had gone
To enjoy their
Twentieth spring 
Of  togetherness
Did they wave 
Goodbye to him
Or were they
Saying that
They will not
Return to him?
Was it them 
Which returned 
Or is it 
The empty nest?
The old puzzle 
Left him dumb

In the screen 
Of his heart
Flashes past
Vivid scenes
Of happy days
In company
As the scenes 
Change and change
A sudden thought
Chills his heart
A day before
They had been
A day hence
Nothing will be
An old fool�s 
Lifeless words
Resonates
With life anew
As he asks 
`All a dream?�

The priest juggles
With strange words
Machine-like
He complies with 
All that is
Asked by priests
His infant hands 
Had fed before
Tender food
To eager mouths
The hardened hand
Feeds now
Coarse rice 
To forced mouths
The eyes that were
Flashing stars
Stares lifeless
At the sun


Two fire-pots 
Come to him
Holding these
He goes ahead
Along the road
With bare chest

Can one know
Where he looks ?
The curious 
Passers-by 
Seem to be
Dead to him

They come to a
Stop now
The two lie on
Their last bed
Covered by 
A professional
The fire pots
Become light

The fires start to burn without
The fire starts to burn within
The fires now rage without
The fire now rages within
Ashes start to collect without
Ashes start to collect within
Cracking sound are heard without
Cracking sound are heard within
A big cracking sound is heard
`Shiva� he cries and comes to life
He springs towards the piles of ash
Undaunted by the shouts of all
Before they all could contain him
He had grabbed two handfuls
Now his face shines with ash
All his clothes tear apart
`Poor boy� they say of him
They all begin to call him mad.

This is an instance of `Smashana Vairaghya� (Cremation ground renunciation) turning to birth of real knowledge.  Nothing like this happened with the boy whose father died. But these were the reactions in my mind.