Often when I would hit the rewind button
and go back in time, I remembered
the days I saw you struggle alone
with the hyenas that muffled your voice
When you should have roared like a lion
I noticed your stoical silence
and believed it to be a sign of timidity
of cowardice that stitched your lips
In your final years you were
a horizontal skeletal tree
misshapen limbs, bones brittle,
fingers and joints at unbelievable angles
excruciating arthritic immobility
physically handicapped, mentally strong
Cared for, sometimes with impatience
at others with compassion and tenderness
your unshed tears, fears and hurts
were red embers searing my bones
but you were all acceptance... wordlessly,
unwearyingly, with a smile on your lips
you became the epitome of pluck
Looking back now, I see only
the wisdom and serenity of your resilience
with small steely strokes of heroism
you mined your inner power
with grace you emerged from your
shattered world into the light
bathing your vulnerability and adversity
in the beams of the sun shining within
Yours is the story of a warrior not a survivor
It is a narrative of strength, dignity, indomitable will.
Foolish us! We thought you were dependent on us!
Today, bereft of your presence and wet-eyed
our lonely hearts need you, miss you
the light that emanated from your inner radiance
still guides, strengthens and blesses
as our tiny steps follow your colossal ones
Bio
Shernaz Wadia, from Pune, India, reading and writing particularly poems, has meant embarking on an inward journey of self-discovery.
Occasionally she also dabbles in the short Japanese genres of haiku, tanka, haibun and tanka prose, some of which have found place in journals publishing these forms of writing.
She has published her own book of poems "Whispers of the Soul" and two volumes of "Tapestry Poetry - A Fusion of Two Minds" co-authored with her poetry partner Avril Meallem from Israel. Tapestry is an innovative, collaborative genre of poetry composition created by Avril and Shernaz
http://www.tapestrypoetry.webs.com
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