I Am The Greatest - Let Me Tell You Why Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have walked those many miles of my life
with humbleness and compassion
so vast and never diminishing;
I have offered due respect
to humanity and to those who deserved it;
I have watched the hardships of the poor
and I have always attempted to help them
in some way or the other
as long as they were truly helpless
but I have paid no heed to those
who feigned poverty;
I have even been fortunate to see the
inclination of beggars
who refuse to give up begging
even if I offered them a job
or a monthly quota of money
to pull on their days
but they returned back to begging
induced by the idleness they can prey on
and inspired by the pity
that people showered upon them;
so they continued to be beggars
though they looked shabby
and became weary or dead.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have taken time to watch the ants work
and accumulate their provisions
and though they are so tiny
they never forget their rainy days;
so they go and accumulate food
like army soldiers
and even if they collide into each other
they never abandon their route and duty;
I have learnt to be meticulous
by watching the ants and the bees;
they are so little yet so great
in their perseverance.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have made friends with not only the rich
but also the poorest;
my experiences with people are varied;
the rag picker was not any different,
constantly he dashed to gather
what ever he could from the streets;
he even told me he could earn more
than what I could pay him
when I offered him work and salary
but he always chose to hurry away
and collect old newspapers
and used plastic bottles thrown on the streets
though under the scorching sun he perspired;
scavenging had become his hobby,
it pained my heart to see his cheap voracity
but I could not change
his mind nor his values about life
yet I had the opportunity to know
how life was difficult for some
by their own choice of poverty.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
not only in solidarity but also in compassion;
I have observed the complexities
of the have-nots
but the rich were not any different,
the more they have in their life
the more they want to add to their prosperity;
they make others work like slaves
in their shops or factories,
or in their companies and hotels;
with the business profits they accrue
they sit and talk like kings
and count their wealth with gusto;
they are so selfish
but I chose to share my fortune
with those who loved and respected me.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have even shared my knowledge
with so many people in this world;
I have taught so many students
from so many countries
and imparted my wisdom to them;
in the field of school education
where the children keep learning
the process of information
I have kept replenishing;
as a teacher and an educator
I feel so proud
that I have taught students
from all over the world
and it delights my mind
that I have written so many words,
so many poems for all eyes to read
in the coming centuries;
and I am glad for all my contributions
to this world
for which I hope to be remembered
even when I am gone far away
from this earth.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have always praised God always
for His wonderful creations
and His concern for mankind appalls me
as every fruit, every crop
has been God's dedication to humanity;
for which my thankfulness is boundless.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you,
even the clouds in the skies,
the moon in the night,
the sunshine in the day
all have their own things to do everyday;
I take time to be thankful to Almighty
for all the blessings
He has showered upon humanity;
those oceans and seas,
those rivers and lakes;
those mountains and hills,
those forests and fields
bond themselves to humanity
and endorse their responsibility
to mankind
for which I admire our nature
so consistently and frequently
that I feel elated
as every moment of life
is made beautiful
that when I walk past
those miles of my time on this earth,
I enjoy a pleasantness
amidst the shadows of the trees,
amidst the sounds of the rising waves,
amidst the thunder and lightning in the skies.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you indeed,
I have been thro' every alley and street,
thro' every valley and city
of every country I visited;
and as I traveled the world,
I admired the beauty and the culture
the environment and the nature
the seasons and the flavors of every place
wherever I stopped;
I was awed and inspired by
every shrub and tree,
every pine and oak
every fish and animal
every bird and butterfly
as they had their own stories to tell me;
I even appreciated the fortitude
of the dry grass in the desert
which keeps growing without any water
and without perishing in the sandstorm;
such was life's realities as I walked on.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you;
I could think of the values of life
and share happiness in best of measures;
I re-read the chapters of co-existence
I revised the topic of survival
and chose to be a vegetarian;
I avoided eating red meats and poultry
I believed every creature big or small
deserved to survive
and believed their beating heart must go on;
I stopped eating meats
whether it was the cow or the chicken,
whether it was the goat or the fish,
I could not eat any flesh anymore;
so my diet was full of fruits and vegetables
pulses and puddings.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you forever;
I was born with a silver spoon
in my mouth - just as the saying goes;
I originated from an elite family
where food was exotic
and the care was lavish
yet I married a man
for love and not for riches;
his love was my wealth
as he loved me more than himself;
and though it was hard to believe him,
he never loved me less for even one night
and treated me just like a passionate princess.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you any day;
I have earned my place in heaven;
and if you want to know the secret
it is easier than riding a bicycle uphill;
all you have to do
is remember your own childhood
and maintain a mind-set full
of innocence and purity;
I adhered to honesty and gentleness,
though reciprocity of love was my greatness;
I forgave those who lacked morality
but the game of vengeance
I could never discard
so that I could place the flag of correction
on their chests and show them
their greed and evilness was obsolete.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I always pursued justice consistently
and slept the night with distinct contentment;
my heart was always so dedicated
to duty, dignity and divinity;
I prayed to heavenly God in my childhood
so recklessly asking for everything;
but when I grew up
I achieved everything by myself
but it was the same good God
who made all my dreams come true;
I was even blessed
with motherhood and a lovely family;
my child became my little God on earth
though God of heaven I revered the most.
I am the greatest
and I am greater than you in any way;
one needs no diamonds
or gold that glitters
to be the greatest on this planet
but a truthful heart
and a humble attitude like mine
is all that I held in my hands
to be greater than you
and celebrate my existence.
I am the greatest
I am greater than you
I have never been a leader or a traitor
I have never been an angel or a devil
I have lived by prudence and reasoning
I have walked by many winters and summers
I have sung songs of love and valor
but I have grieved too long
for those I lost and loved
as they were my most loveable brothers
and as I lived I knew
that time had its own control over life;
so I sought my worthiness
in endurance and serenity
by living every minute in exuberance
which my heart and mind could accelerate;
I did not ever seek laurels or praises
but for this gift of life
that I got from my parents
I offer them my gratitude
and also to all those who stood by me
in my moments of turbulence and glee;
and on the day when my journey
on this earth concludes
I will present my beautiful life to God;
and as you read these verses,
you will think and ask -
why, where and who wrote this title
- I am the greatest;
you will find your answer
and know it is me;
you will also know why
I always told myself -
I am greater than you:
it is to tell you- that
the fulfilment of life is
in our own spine and determination.