The Gateway Poem by Nazmul Haque

'No' is the way to a better 'yes',
We say 'no' to the lie
so that we can say 'yes' to the truth.

'No' cannot be the ultimate end of life.
If so, then you are committing suicide.
What is the point of living then?
Say a simple no to the whole life
and jump into the river!
What is the point of
saying no, no, no-
throughout the whole life?
Just say a big no and jump off the hill
and be lost.

If you are living for some yes,
then it is good,
then your no is no more negative;
it is serving some positivity.
Even destruction can become
part of the creative process.

It is just like surgery,
If a surgeon thinks,
’How can I cut this man’s body? -
Am I a butcher? ’
then he'ill fail to do the surgery.
To save the man's life
He has to be a butcher
in deep compassion.

We have to say no to the old
if we want to say yes to the new.
If we are making a new house,
we have to destroy the old one.
While we eat food,
we build up the body
but we destroy the food as well.

Destruction makes the way for a better creation,
And 'no' is the means to attain a higher 'yes'.