The Last Leaf

I was walking along
with my friend Darsana
When we saw a leaf
fallen and faraway;
ambling around in the breeze
atlast it rested near her feet

Looking at me she said:
"in such moments can I crush
The leaf beneath my feet?
Ah no; the leaf has then a voice,
Its heart — I hear it beat"

Then i replied:
"why can't you

when the leaf
is so bereft
of any life!

it had a voice
it's dumb now!
it had a heart
it's dead now!!"

She quoted an elegy,
"E'en from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,
E'en in our ashes live their wonted fires"

The elegy thus reminded
i shot back at her-
"the voice of nature
it cries only for
the want of peace

...not the fires
nor the cries
can bring back
what is dead

ashes of life
they strive
to teach us-
rest in peace"

She contended-

"the ashes; they do sleep
in curtained peace
but the unheard voice sings
loud and long
...
down the snowy lanes
of hazy memory
it aches to leave a mark
never to fade"

I responded-
"the unheard voice
it sings in vain
the memory
it is but hazy
...
the voice aches
to leave a mark
but it soon fades
never to be back

for it has found
its rightful place
where it is heard
in quiet and peace
so faraway from us,
& our maddening verse!!"

She wasn't giving up-
"there she lies on that forgotten spot
lonely and lifeless.
with zipped up bags
and unzipped dreams
left her to the wind
...i did
no sorrow nor guilt
for now you made her eternal
she, whom i put to death"

I was so confused
but still concluded-
"this is getting crazy
who lies lifeless?
who lays listless?
who is eternal....?
who is she?
is it the leaf?!
...let it be
i am tired
i am wired
will you please
let her and ME
live in peace....!!"

She smiled smugly
while i heaved a sigh
We went our ways
with me still pensiveon her real motive....

Darsana Vijay and Vamsi Viraj are in their 2nd Year MA. Both are good writers and profound thinkers. Darsana also blogs at http://darzwrites.blogspot.com/.