Albert Einstein 41 - War & Wellness Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Though the Einstein family survived the war,
The war period was full of economic instability,
Sickness, unhappiness and tension.
Albert and Mileva lived apart from each other,
Albert in Germany, while Mileva in Switzerland,
Both of them faced severe health problems.
But how each of them dealt with these setbacks,
Is a story so different, distinct and variant!

In 1917, Albert became afflicted with gastrointestinal disease.
He lost a lot of weight and became very weak.
Luckily for Albert, his cousin Elsa, lived in Berlin,
She took charge of nursing him back to health.
But Albert had relapses, and was confined to bed
For several months with abdominal ulcers.
Though, not in a condition to do any work, physically,
His determined mind, overcame all health issues;
With a little spark of well-being, he bounced back to work!

Mileva, after her separation from her husband Albert
And her stay alone in Switzerland with her children,
Went into deep depression, trauma and
A complete breakdown, both physically and mentally.
She had to be admitted into a sanatorium.
Hans who was now thirteen years old
Began to dislike his father for leaving them
And their sick mother, alone during war time.
However, the children were taken care by
by Einstein's friends - Michele Besso and Heinrich Zangger.

It is heart breaking to see a family disintegrate.
The man and woman move on to a new life.
But it is so sad and unfair for the children!
The children suffer for the mistakes of their parents!
For Hans Albert, and Eduard particularly,
An innocent childhood, full of fun and frolic was lost.
Amidst the chaos of war and diseases,
The children must have experienced
Unpleasant wars in their little hearts,
Questioning the scientific theories,
And fine tuning of their parent's marriage.

A Biographical Poem