Gautam Sen (Kolkata)

Watch those boys playing tick-tack-toe,
one chap keeps winning every blow,
he has some good, clever technique-
in front of him others look bleak.

Playing for them is full of fun
immensely helped me to reckon -
life is always a tick-tack-toe,
fighting, struggling, and wins its show.

It flows smoothly, follows the rule,
never faces troubled whirlpool
of rivalry and enmity
baffled by life's simple beauty.

Hindrances may cast deep shadow,
coronas of life still overflow.
Life's destined for motion en route
combating odds to fight them out.

So let me say aloud again –
we're to sail as skilled oarsmen
to end our journey on life's flow;
to play a game called 'Tick-Tack-Toe'.