The Countdown-11 Poem by Smrui Ranjan Mohanty

THE COUNTDOWN-11

What happens
When one leaves the centre stage
A sense of alienation grips the body and mind
One feels as if it is the beginning
Of an unceremonious end

One starts doubting himself
In his ability to deliver and survive
In a world of give and take.
To his utter dismay
Finds his golden words mean less
With no takers to what he says.
The voice of the past badly loses to the present
And the man becomes an antic in the showcase

Before he speaks and acts
Thinks thrice
Asks himself ' Am I not going wrong?
Am I not hurting
Someone's feelings and sentiments'
He doubts whether it is he who has changed
Or his world with whom he fails to identify

He questions
' Am I the same? I used to be'
He doubts whether it was he
Or someone else who delivered in the past
And became the architect of the present
Finds his confidence at the lowest
Fails to identify himself
With all that is built on his blood and sweat

Overnight he finds himself in the abyss
With his body and mind betraying his senses
He sees nothing but darkness.
Life recedes to a corner
And the man of the yesteryear
becomes a silent spectator

Smruti Ranjan Mohanty©
India
11.11.2022
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