When I Die Poem by Raghurama Raju

I have a decent house
I have a nice car
My children are well-settled
The balance in my bank account
is pretty good
I know and I always feel proud!

I know another important thing
as well!
Like everybody, one day I die
My wife and children cry aloud
Until they become tired and hungry!
Some elderly man advises them
to stop crying and finish the formalities!
They obey his words only to
lower their voice!

A few people come forward to lift
the thing on which my lifeless body rests
Some throw flowers and the magnanimous
a few coins!
After a little walk, the procession stops
and reaches the graveyard!


They keep me on the funeral pyre
andset fire
When my mortal remains begin to burn and crackle
In the flames orange, grey and black
My beloved wife, in a fit of sorrow,
triesto rush into the fire
But people standing around stop her and she faints
in their hands!


When the fire recedes my friends and relatives return home
And they purifythe house with a strong jet of water!
After a week or two, they keep my walking stick,
wrist watchand other personal effects
inside a bag to hand over to a deserving poor man!
Then I shrink into a framed photograph to hang
on the wall in the entrance hall!