Life and Death of a Leaf!

Today or tomorrow…

Now or later

I may fall

I am oscillating

in the last string

If the brushing wind

Turns emotional

If a kissing droplet of rain

Falls upon my nose

If a bird on my branch

Perches and flutters its wing

I may fall

*****

Bid adieu, dear branch

How many charge sheets

Are framed upon me till now

I nod my head

For the discordant notes

Of the wind

Show my welcoming green signal

To the birds that perch and excrete

I always caress

The leaves near me, all day long

But now on my death bed

My fellow leaves have pardoned me

If so..

Is life incomplete?

and..Is only the death complete?

*****

Fulfilled life is my life

The earth turned cold

In the sprinkle

Of my bathing

The rays of the sun

Reached the earth

Only after touching me

In my breath of the dawn

The foul air turned chaste

I took from this tree

Very little as my share

But gave back abundantly

*****

In my life

There of course, are two

Unforgettable incidents

*****

A terrible night

of an unknown cyclone that turned a slayer

of Age old trees and the tender plants, alike

A romantic morn

When I covered my face with my fellow-leaf

On seeing the mating of bees upon flowers

In shyness

*****

On a fine day

A bird that perched in my branch

Kindled me

“Oh poor leaf!

Have you ever wept in sorrow

Of not being born as a flower or fruit?”

*****

I rustled aloud

With the help of wind

Kindled me

“Thank God, I am not a flower

Because the bees will not

play with my chastity

My goodness, I am not a fruit

And am saved from parrots

Who woud tear and savour me

Being what you are is heaven

And yearning is hell”

*****

There comes

My death in the shape of wind

Here…here

My corpse fall

Upon the earth

Give me way..give me way

Oh colourful butterflies

Keep aside….keep aside

Oh ephemeral creatures

Thank you Death

Thank you

You have come to bestow a boon

Which my life failed to offer

Now, I am going to kiss my Mother Earth

For the first time in my life

From whom I stayed away all my life

*****

I am coming to you dear Mother

I am coming

Embrace me, Embrace me

Aha … what a pleasure

This is Adhvaitha

*****

Don’t be morose

This is not the end

But a new beginning

Life is a cycle

Death is its ornament

The cycle moves on

I am certain to be back

To your branch

In another form

Through your roots

Could you, for once,

Make all your leaves

clap for me

*****