Been watching her since long in my house,
A single, as I never saw with her a spouse,
I didn't know whether male or female,
and why I didn't call her as a male,
because she was naughty in my waken nights,
hidden somewhere in the bright day lights,
too much she was hated by my only wife,
once she attacked with a deadly knife,
the splinter escaped from the jealous sight,
she was so smart with eyes too bright,
afraid of a woman towards me she ran,
to a tested and trusted harmless man,
years passed, today, saw her in a day,
restless in pain, in her eyes a dismay,
perhaps someone gave a poisonous bread,
felt pain of one so helpless on death bed,
I took a hammer and hit on her head,
and the shrew-mouse was instantly dead!
I too was in suspense until the end. I have often struggled with the option of mercy killing. If an animal could ask me please it would be easier. But I don't know my place. Without permission I don't know if that shrew mouse would rather stay alive in its state or if it would crawl off to die somewhere anyway and become food to another struggling animal. I hope some day, should I be helpless and in agony, someone would take a hammer to my head though.
Such an incredible observation turned into pure poetry with imagination, wit, and sheer genius.. A brilliant poem Akhtar sahab.. Simply excellent.. You kept the reader in suspense till the end, and only then we realise about what this poem is written.. Brilliant!
Painful truth, we never know how this life will end...........Nice and touchy poem as usual. Thanks for sharing...10++
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Humour, suspense, compassion....... the poem breathes out all these emotions! Until the last line, no one could guess who was put to mercy killing! Interesting write! I imagined that it must be a stray cat..... usually a stray cat is dreaded by a house wife!