After Falling, After Failing Poem by Prasanta Kumar Mahapatra

After falling down from a tree
I learnt how to climb a tree
After failing in an interview
I learnt how to face an interview.

After falling from a half -made wall
I learnt it's difficult to have a ninety-degree turn while running
After failing to get a job
Sitting in a series of examinations
I learnt how to prepare for a job
And keep myself going.

After falling from the steps
I realized the pain
Of an old lady- pushed down by her daughter-in-law
After failing to save the life
Of my co-rider from an accident
I learnt ‘service to mankind is
Service to God'.
God- whom I have never seen
But man is a living God
Or the God's manifesto.

After falling down in the love of poetry
I knew the importance of character
After failing to save a girl from being raped
I knew that I was not Heroic;
Heroism lies in protecting a culture.