A wise-man with frosty dreadlocks,
Once galloped up my street.
I asked, “What you got, Sir?”
He retorted, “Anything to eat?”

He had his full; me still gravely famished,
I kept quiet awhile, lest I be admonished,
“Sir! What is this Life? Pray, do demystify!
I don’t want to live. I don’t want to die!”

He chuckled and huffled, while smoking some weed,
I mumbled and jumbled, with eyes knelt to plead,
He took out his key and opened up his goldmine,
And said, “Life’s a paradox! Your’s, his — and mine!”

“You want to be happy, my son!
But all you think of — are
Things that make you sad.

You want to smile and cheer,
But all you can taste,
Is the salt of your tears.

You work for bigger houses,
And earn broken families,
You hoard material possessions,
But squander precious time.

You eat too much, you eat too little,
You drink too much, you sleep too little

You have too many acquaintances,
But how many friends you trust?
You have more, but still enjoy less,
You spend recklessly — and savings? God bless!

You talk too much, and say so little,
You crib too much, and thank too little

Living in a world of online shopping,
And free home-delivery for almost everything.
Of care-less flings while club-hopping,
With morality no less like a disposable thing!

More knowledge but less judgement,
More non-sense but less common-sense
Sub-zero values with tempers like rockets,
Shallow relationships with deep pockets!

You are an online celebrity,
But your neighbours don’t know you!
You prattle and preach with wise oddities,
But hey, do you know — ‘Who are you?’

You live in a world of one-night stands,
And then you wonder, “If love exists?”
You don’t need anyone, yet you feel so lonely.
You throng divine places but can’t cure your biases!

You ask him to leave, yet want him to stay,
You shut up his mouth, yet want him to say!

The strongest, the weakest, the valiant, the meekest,
A desert’s hot wind, a meadow’s cool breeze

You’re partly alive,
You’re partly dead.
You become lighter,
If only your ‘Ego’ you shed!

Live so that your epitaph be —
‘We lived and laughed,
And loved and left!’

Life’s a paradox, son!
No! — Sure it is!”

He climbed back on the saddle,
With a smile you could trust,
And showered me his blessings,
Galloping away into the dust!

— Jatinder Singh , the lousy poet

© Written 31-Aug-2017

{ Picture Credit: Cowboy on his Horse in Sunset Silhouette }