On The Way To Heaven... Poem by Lakshmi Sreedharan

I am being taken to the royal dungeon.
I will be killed there tonight,
For a crime I never committed,
For an action I never thought of.
My heart throbs with pain,
For I am not the criminal,
The criminal they’ve named me as.

What is the crime I committed?
“He has stolen the Queen’s necklace, they say.
I’ve not looked at her highness with my head high,
Little did I see her necklace!
I’ve fulfilled my duties, Most honestly to date,
As the custodian of the Queen’s chamber,
Being the Guardsman of the Royal Lady.

To be humble was my principle.
Responsibility was my slogan.
Not once did I sleep,
As the blue blooded Lady was asleep.
Not once did I fail to bow before her.
And this is what I receive,
As reward for my sincerity.

This is a masquerade;
The culprits are behind masks,
Masks of innocence.
They closed the eyes of justice,
With nothing but position.
There arouse a tie in the royal court;
Between virtues and position,
Needless to say, position took over.

I am just a common man,
A mere servant of the King.
But is my life so worthless?
Worthless than a necklace?
My hands are tied together,
The black hood is lowered
And it is time for the execution.

Alas! I have not lost faith,
The lord will see me,
See me at the gates of Heaven.
Me, a servant so loyal,
A true believer of the creator.
Faith is what I have,
To leave behind as a treasure
For my fellow commoners.

They are Dullards! You see,
Who believe they escaped.
The lord sees us all,
Our actions accompanied with.
He sees us through the clouds,
From The Heavens above earth.

As death nears, I fear not.
Despair does not overcome me,
For today I am made the criminal,
Tomorrow they will be the same.
They’ll be criminals too,
Not in the eyes of earthly creatures
But, at the doorstep of the Almighty.
They’ll be deceived at the gates of Heaven.

The rope is being lowered
Oh! I am hanged!
I’ve left my earthly body,
It is just a corpse now.
Yes! The Angels are here,
Here to take me to Heaven.
I’m on my way to see Him,
Him, The lord of Lords.
Adieu! Adieu to the Royal Fools! ! !