The Happy Man Died Poem by Anil Kumar Panda

Early in the morning I saw
Him taking a glassful of water

From the pitcher at the corner of the room

He made us sit in the bed
Terrified
By his guttural gargling
And coughing in between like
The sound an ox made
When chased and beaten

I never saw him falling ill
Never saw him complaining about
Half cooked rice mother served
When he was back from work

He played with the calves and country dogs
Ran behind them like a child
Pulling their mouths to his chest
Hugging and caressing them at their necks

He was found dead one morning
He looked as if he was in a deep sleep
No commotion, no vomiting, no opened eyes
No one could guess the cause

Mourners said his body took
A whole day to burn and turn into ashes

No one believed that death could come so sudden