In The Cemetery Poem by RAJ NANDY

IN THE CEMETERY

'' I came to offer this bouquet of flowers,
with prayers for my father's departed soul;
For today is his centenary,
Had he lived, he would be a hundred years
old!
But I have watched you all this while,
my friend,
Sitting still, lost in thought,
Next to this polished marble grave,
Strewn with flowers, which you must
have bought?
Fate and destiny we cannot fight,
The old must leave, when time comes,
you know,
Like the autumn leaves which must fall,
In winter's breeze, both soft and slow!
Such going and coming is a part of life,
So cheer-up my friend, and forget the
past,
Think of your family and the good life
ahead,
These passing sorrows do not last!
Think of your wife and the children too,
They will keep your mind pre-occupied!
Making you forget this loss,
For life ahead is always bright! '

Yet such platitudes and advice,
Failed to stop the flow of tears,
As the stranger kept kneeling next
to the grave,
For he must have lost someone very
dear!
' Who is it you grieve for my friend?
Get up and let's carry on with life, ...'
But the stranger kept kneeling and
softly said, -
'Sir, it is my newly wedded wife! ''

-Raj Nandy
New Delhi,
21 Jan 08