AFTER THE END II Poem by Ashok Vajpeyi

After the end
there will be nothing
no turning back
no change of form
no beginning either.

No more
the wondrous glow of the body
the dark gloom of the soul
nor
the warm memories of love.

No weak tea
with just a little milk
no peeving
at the mismatch
of buttons and buttonholes.

There will be
no tree of wisdom
no stillness of the lake
no scheming victoriousness
no blue feathers falling quietly
in jungles and barren lands.

There will be no lacklustre gods
no flag-waving goons.
After the end
there will be nothing for us -
only for those
for whom there will be no end.

After the end
will only be
the end
for us.