Winter In The Mountains Poem by Akshat Seth

And I saw that man,
Whom The world had termed insane
Long ago.
Walking past me, I heard what he muttered.
' Wish I was in the mountains. '
I very well could have overlooked it.
Could have walked on when I was very much aware
Of how people avoided him at best,
Ridiculed him at there modest
And thrashed him at their worst.

Why I didn't do the same......
I don't know to be frank.
' Oh common! You want to be in the mountains in December? you'll die of the co
the cold. Even I will die of the cold and you? You do not stand a chance. '
He looked at me
And I can't describe how he looked? Or what he appeared like?
I do not remember
The only think I do remember is what he said.

' People die when crushed to death on the sidewalks,
People die trapped in their blazing homes,
People die of agony- sheer agony of being alone in this wide world,
People die of cold because their is no sun- just fog and mist
And
People die for the want of love.

No one dies of the winter in the mountains
For there is more sun to warm than fog to kill,
There are the mountains, trees and the sky devoid of mist to fill the
loneliness,
Men and women work there socks off and sleep well
And one more thing
Mountains are dangerous for vehicles, less so for man.'

(Haldwani, December 25 2011)