An Ode To Life Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

An Ode To Life

Rating: 5.0


O to die old man, tasks left un-leaven,
To return— a fake coin to this planet;
Work harder, yet more mileage points to earn
That heaven calls goodly deeds done to date,
To repeat not life's careless omissions,
Careful avoiding sinful commissions,
Grow up again, relearning things learnt ere,
Suffer old age again, same helplessness,
Same hassles of life, all of its bugbear,
Begin and end with diapers no less.

All this with some welcome blessings to fore:
The foremost: mother's love, her rage so mild,
Worth returning to earth often and more,
If but for just innocence of a child,
And its one more version— second childhood,
Small joys and pleasures, life's trinkets so rife,
For that lesson hard learnt in adulthood—
True joys come but from trivial things of life.

Sure, heaven and hell have their own odd rules,
And hell hands over no worse punishment
Than treating humans, what else, like draught mules
That must learn things learnt ere— in chastisement,
A karmic fate— there's no meaner kill-joy,
But is not life God's play-act to enjoy?

And still I'd feel, life comes with mixed blessings,
Like coins it comes with two sides: joy and strife,
One may call it tyranny of this life,
Or perchance destiny, dual voice where sings.

And still I love you O life, fall or spring,
I like this journey, pray keep me calling.
……

Yea, life looks well should ye dwell on fair side,
All ye need have is pointed perspective:
Take the positive, leave the negative,
Deny the dangling duals any a ride.

If sin there's in life, it's not to endure,
And in despairs to hope for ‘nother life,
Yet, this very life has all the grandeur
That missed is amidst all imagined strife.

O worry not on life's pointless meaning,
Life's to be lived, for, there is one, no myth!
Philosophy has no place in living,
Life's lived far better without it than with.

All the courage, all bravery's loud cry,
All poetic lines penned to glorify,
Never for once needed O just to die,
But to live life fit for braves— manfully.

So, let me steal a day off life— to live,
And live as if there's no another day,
To live, live well be in life to believe,
I wonder if there's any other way.

And to live, even one percentage less,
Be justice denied to heavenly gift,
Know, no life's ever been made meaningless,
To say so is not to uplift God's gift.

If there's one exception to life I let—
It is when life outlives body's old cage,
Yet, happy flesh seldom for life does fret,
Beware; an ailing flesh faster does age.

Destiny has sent you here and knows why,
So, worry not clouds of sorrows shall rain,
Nor yet worry your life is lived in vain,
Everyone's well on way to reach his sky.

And God for no degrees care, nor medals,
Only but how honest you truly strived,
Only, where ye aught be, if you've arrived,
So, steer clear of life's lofty pedestals.

Life's journey, no straight walks, nor yet is short,
But life lived and lived well goes well ahead,
And belongs to one alive, not to dead,
No two journeys are same, seek your own port.

In safety's life lived, nor security,
Tire not of danger, nor yet avoid it,
The alt is no safer street, so brave it,
Life is a daring venture or naught be.

A vast field life seems, man cometh with yoke,
His struggles apart, life's no thankless field,
Were he at times to get no matching yield,
It's no fair calling life gossamer smoke.

For, unrest of spirit's the sign of life,
Go ahead, man, it's fair if heart rebels,
Destiny smiles if man's efforts work rife,
It is how man yon his level excels.

And life's no easy to compose besides,
It takes great deal more than penning this ode,
But if man's taken a few crucial strides,
He should feel light of load; he's right on road.

As is this world's horizon— infinite,
So is life's that in its fullness expands,
But whenso it stiffens to be finite,
Fossilised, man gets frozen where he stands.

A lump of raw material be this life,
To be touched, ennobled, given a shape,
Till all life's length be sharpened like a knife,
From constant renewal none can escape.

Man may have seen or heard of wars world wide,
Knows little still, life's no less a combat—
One that lasts till life's very end, aside,
To march ahead all through is no child's hat.

The only therapy O man is life,
Nigh patient, learn to live body and soul,
Live with life's vicissitudes all so rife,
There's no halfway house. Take or leave it whole.

Life is its own wealth, there's not else in world—
The wealth that no insurance can make safe,
And of no compensation have I heard,
Enjoy it or watch it go, mouth agape!

That life is worth living takes notso proof,
A premise that man must doubtless assume,
And when life lived reaches none its tall roof,
The reason oft is: life's plunged into plume.

Though short, life still runs a full marathon,
The truth is far to see, for it lives long,
For, threads of life keep running on an on,
Notes echoing in air, sweet be the song.

All said, life's no life if there be no death,
I see a twain, two sides but coin the same,
If I've in life, must have in death my faith,
And death it is that man has lofty aim.

A journey, O thou life, infinite vast,
To be lived each day as if it's the last.
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The first part starts with ten lines in the first stanza. Every stanza progressively loses two lines, ending with a couplet. Each lifespan also is supposed to reduce the journey of evolution that ends with Liberation. But as this poem seems in love with life, it continues in the second part telling life all that it is.

This ode treats life as a universe itself, a vast ocean containing a world of variety. Things might often look contradictory, but that is life.
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Ode, Musings | 03.07.16 |

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Edward Kofi Louis 28 March 2019

In death my Faith! ! ! ! ! 🤗📚 Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

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Aniruddha Pathak 29 March 2019

Yes, when life is there death can't be away, thank you Edward Louis.

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George Krokos 28 March 2019

This poem as the title suggests treats of a vast subject and it's handled quite well in the content and body of the poem itself. A massive undertaking. Well done.

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Aniruddha Pathak 29 March 2019

Thank you so much George krokos, and welcome to my poems. I look forward to your critical comments. For, I believe, comments should be constructive, but not goodie-goodie.

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Kumarmani Mahakul 28 March 2019

Life is a blessing. We should behold values and dignity. This poem is interestingly penned.10

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Aniruddha Pathak 29 March 2019

Thanks for reading this rather longish ode, Kumarmani Mahakul.

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Aniruddha Pathak

Aniruddha Pathak

Godhra - Gujarat
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