I Carry Past Unto The Present Poem by Prafulla Kumar Panda

Like a distant relative Year 23 came into my life
with plenty of good wishes and goodwill
and shared my feelings and my happy moments
with gentle rebukes and advices to correct me and my mistakes

in his company I had some quality time
to nurture my inherent potency, my whims and zeals
i was thrilled when he was with me in my outingsat the country side, or at sea shores
or at temple doors while praying to the almighty
for the wellbeing of my family
and for me a blissful time amidst hectic work routine

as every entrance pre-fixes exit
so he left leaving to me only a bale of memories to shoulder on
with a tag of advice-
'that however tiresome or
painful seems the journey, to start it 'Now'-
so in the new year let me (to my duty) carry on
where and what I left out,
or scribble and paint afresh, on the Time's blank page
with the hues of the rainbow
for the task given to me by today, will be demanded by tomorrow
anyhow

yesteryear stands with me as a Teacher now
and teaches me from the pages of the Past
and shouts thunderously at me before the whole class-
'to start and persist unto the last,
with a faith in God and a heart within
for inside the shuck of pain, sits pleasure coiling
like a child, who from the painful womb of its mother, brings in
pleasure smilingly'.

©Prafulla Panda, India
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