Enlightenment
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Loading ...Enlightenment
Growing old is a thought that worries us always
And makes one fear those dreary days! but,
As long as the wrinkles are of smiles that have been
Of the happy times that one has always seen
The hair that is grey is a give away
Of the knowledge imbibed day after day..
The stiffness in the bones should remind you of the tough,
Principles you followed through times that were rough
The veins in your hand should show in the sun
And tell of the help you gave to everyone
Your back should be bent with the burden you shared
Of each and very soul for whom you cared
Your eyes could be weak and give you a strain
From having noticed other people’s sorrow and pain
Your smile can weaken and lose its charm
But should radiate to show you have never done anyone any harm
Your voice can quiver till the time you are dead
But should echo the joy and harmony your words always spread
Such aging for one shall be a life worth spent
Isn’t this true enlightenment?
Seema Saha
57 Comments
I loved what u felt….i felt the same……believe me seema…..ur words made me wanna grow older….older with my wife…older with my children…older with everyone around…..and the reason for it…..i wanna go through the experience of growing old exactly the way uve sensed and described……
What a lovely poem.. n such good thoughts am proud of you my daughter ..Love Mamma
daddy Reply:
December 24th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
wonderful poem never knew you were so poetic.
Heh seema never thought u were into poetry as well wow what a bundle of talent u are … keep it up… thanks for sharing this site with us…read other poems too.. something one normally leaves behind in school… but am now really moved by some of the poems here…and shall read regularly…
lovely one.welcome to our adda!
seema sahaa Reply:
December 25th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hi Thnks. wish there was a facility for chat in this adda and we cld all chat with each other. seema
so touching. write more and let da world be ur audience.ur a fantastic human-u can understand and be a part of it. atta girl seema- keep the good work going on…………..wanna hear more from u
Seema,
Does it need any comment? No, it is class in itself and if one had lived this way it is not aging but eternal happiness.
Take care
Seema,
This poem is the true enlightenment. It reflects the positive aspect of life and it supports the quote “Journey is the Reward”. Keep it up.
Regards
Vikram
Most of times, we cherish the feeling of being ’still young’ at the old age, but this work of urs gives another interesting point of view. The life which is satisfied, content, truly the one to be cherished. 
Thanks for sharing this wonderful work.
Dear Ma’am,
With a lady, you take communication for granted; good, sensitive communication, often multi-layered, bordering on excellent such as in this poem on growing old; with ones achievements traceable in supposedly declining faculties.
Pity the male of the species! “Dont cry”! The imperious command to the little son at childhood, by a unthinking Dad, reinforced by a sweet Mother, who tells the bewildered child that “boys don’t cry. You’re a man, my lovely! Wipe your tears and play on…” is a message the little child misinterprets… often.
He grows up with a powerful message given by Mum (at times by Dads) that the male is weak if he shows emotion. While his sibling gets fussed over when her knee is bruised and is cooled with Mama’s magic breath; while she is encouraged to cry and give vent to her feelings, the little boy, (as well loved), understands that he is expected to be stoic…
We grow up in life (men, that is) hiding emotion, pain, turmoil, anguish, torment; our internal devils.We feel, but cannot communicate. Maybe the wiring of the brain is to blame; maybe genetics are to blame;maybe cultural mores are to blame; maybe (a sacrilegious thought) Mothers are to blame…
What are the facts like, before the knives come out?! 80% of a child’s personality is fully formed by the time a child is 5. The child spends 80% of his/her waking time with Mama till this age. What Mama says/feels gets indelibly printed in the child’s mind – for ever…
A compliment to you, nevertheless, Ma’am. Wish I could express my feelings as you did in your poem as well as on the AB Blog (Big Adda).
I know… I know…Burns was a man. So were Eliot, Shelley, Tennyson. Their deathless, emotive poetry goes against my thesis, most would say. But would that be right? Would not one say that their feminine, caring sides were dominent…? That they were the exception, not the rule? That the rule is better represented by a (seemingly) stoic Mr Unnikrishnan, who, on 27/11, bade farewell to his brave son, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, even as Sandeeps Mother desperately, tearfully, reached out one last time to caress her sons face in his eternal sleep?
The jury’s not out on this one, I guess.
Maj Gen Raj Mehta (Retd)
Sim, this is a very profound thought, aging or enlightenment, should we worry about receding hairline, or should we take proud in the achievements we got.
Though a very poem, but I hope people will still worry about aging, else it will put Anti Aging creams, out of their business.
Wonderful Poem written ,Good command over English ,Written nicely in Crisp manner ,Never thought this is other side of You .
Enlightenment -Which Budha ,attained after,years of ascetic life and self denial to unimaginable extremes ( though He realized their futility as well ) and thus placing self realization at the highest premium…from which Enlightenment follows without any Divine Intervention. It was so heartening to note the spirit of that kind of enlightenment in this poem. Not Self denial but Self Realization.Being a part of this world , in the liveliest possible manner -living the life spiritedly.
With a smile -always, through every moment of life..to every person, in the life.A smile – which comes when one rises above self. Truly.
A few non conformance in the poem to poetic forms.Which the poetess will iron out if inadvertent ones…and if deliberate ;I must say,Spirit rebellious -true mark of a poetic heart.Truly.
seema…i am always worried abt my old age (though i am only 28)…when will i be old what would be the meaning of my life and why should i live that long with so much misery as i wont be physically that attractive and strong….bt reading after your great (mind you i dont use this word that often bt your work compelled me to do so)poem….my fear is gone and you potrait old age in such a glamorous way like a poet dooes that for a very beautiful woman…it not only kicked the old age fear out of my mind bt also i am praying to god that my old age come soon if its that glamorous lol…..but really u changed my perception abt old age…thanks for that…wonder hw cn such a nice use of words in form of poem can change whole perspective of a person …bt its true as it happened to me…cheers
seema Reply:
January 8th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
@nishit, Thanks Nishit….if one’s words can make some difference in some one’s life or outlook…what could be a bigger reward than that?
it’s a very learnable and touch to direct heart
seema Reply:
January 11th, 2009 at 12:59 am
@ved prakash chauhan, Thank you so much. Very kind of you.
I love the optimism expressed in the poem – the positive spin on a life that begins to fall apart physically in the old age. Downside, if any, is that the rhyming sounds forced. However, the thought is very nice.
seema Reply:
January 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am
@jim, Thanks Jim, Well rhyme for me is very importance.. will try to ensure a more smoother flow.. but does not seem possible in this poem… its tough to create a balance between rhyme and content… one tends to out weigh the other.. but lets see in future… thanks for the keen observation.
Nice . Enlightenment is when you peak at evolution in a given lifetime , Limiting in nature . Can always be sought but never achieved.
seema Reply:
January 13th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@Manish, Very well said Manish… so true! But to keep on
seeking what can never be achieved is the true quest for learning.
Thanks for the meaningful feedback!
Sachin run machine.Seema poem machine.Am awestruck.Help….
seema Reply:
January 13th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
@MA, LOL Not really, poems are always slow and steady…enjoy the process of writing / creating/ sieving/ churning and the serving……
Hi seema
Here I go again…after reading atelast one of your poems once everyday….your poems almost become a part of my life….they add meaning and revive the spirit of living…….i wonder who will give up first…me reading them or u writing ‘em…..
I hope neither occurs
seema Reply:
January 14th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
@Amit, How sweet.. Thanks Amit…Your comments make it worth the while to write more an more..
I am aghast…Not at the poem…at myself for what ive been missing all this while…..
When we are young…we look for the better life as adults….
At adulthood, through the toil and hard work…we look for an age when we hope we will have settled…..
At middle-age…..we look for a time when our family will settle and be happy…….
And now when I am 62 years….i wonder where did it all go…….i have always lived in the future without realizing that I was missing the present…..
i missed enjoying the very phases I wanted to jump from to go to the next….
Seema, you have woken me from deep slumber…your poem has revived me….or should I say enlightened me…
I feel revigourated to LIVE the balance god has for me…..better late than never!
Thanks seema
wah seema ji..
a big mistake by me…….. i was nat read a grt8 & wonderful opem as on date. i have no words for comm.you.
aaplogo ki grat8 rachanao ne to mujhe poem parhane ka diwana bana diya hai, even i am a CA student. i read poem for my entertenment….lovely poem…
seema Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
@Ravi k Rajbhar, Thanks Ravi…Thanks… now that you have enjoyed reading poems.. hope to see some written by you as well…its all a state of mind…tell your self you want to write …write from the heart and poetry will flow……
Being a CA and a workaholic… I had never even thought of writing poetry…till the Mumbai Attacks happened and probably brought out the anguish in me in poetry form…
So look forward for some nice poems from you soon… not not just on the debits and credits but more on the balance sheet of lfe….
Beautiful poem.
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