No One Will Know Poem by Ravinder Kumar Soni

Long ago, there lived Supriya.
Every creature on earth loved her, so it was said,
For her unique beauty, melodious voice and magnanimous heart.
She was gentle, kind and caring.
She did not make history
As did Shakuntla, Rukmini and Padmini before her time;
There was no poem keeping her in mind and
No tale championing her cause,
No image of her on paper or stone exists.
No warrior fought for her hand, no life was lost and
I remember her because of a one-line reference to her made
In a note discarded by Master Vidyapati, my teacher at the school.
No none knows where she lived and died.

Such is the fate of an anonymous life.
Generally, people live and die leaving no trace behind.
This will happen to us too.
No one will remember us after two generations from now,
There might not be even a half-line reference to find anywhere.
Life is unsparing and harsh.
Our pride remains our weakness.
A few years hence, no one will ask whether we lived and why,
No none will know even our names.