Quietus Poem by Anita Sehgal

Ever since I was born,
You have been with me
As I grew,
Your shadow over me lengthened
In all my joys and sorrows,
You stood looking over my shoulder
At the heights of success,
It was your hand which stayed me grounded
In the pits of depths,
It was you who put life's experiences in perspective
The hurt of betrayal and the shame of ignominy,
You tempered with your touch
Nature's beauty I saw through your tender eyes
It was you who defined the nature of life as
transitory, ephemeral, heart breakingly fragile
Life's elusiveness engulfed me…
the moments and relationships I cherished all the more.
Against the backdropp of your presence..
I was sensitized to the miracle and mystery of life.

Without you life would be an endless banal desert.
Without the fear of its loss.. would I be able to cherish this nectar of life?

You have been my closest friend.. Yet I knew it not.
Your final embrace …
After a life accentuated with your presence, a blessing- for the freedom from vicissitudes.

And you alone can break the body barrier - videhamukti- to liberate my soul and soar it to its destination.

For to life and beyond life it is only you, Death, who have lent it meaning.
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