It was dark.
The street lonely.
I was hurrying back home,
anyone would,
these uncertain times.
out came a cry 'help'
A man's voice.
I paused for a second
again he shrieked,
a heart rendering shriek,
Now I hurried back home
my pace doubled.
The screams kept ringing in my ears
till i reached a 'safe distance'.
Oh!how it cringed my flesh,
that heart rendering scream.
I was glad to reach the safety of my home,
so warm and comfortable,so safe.
The man in the streets,I left him to his own devices.
Sometimes(perhaps once in a year or so),
my conscience pricks itself,
reminding me of the man in the street.
what happened that night?
Maybe he died,
Maybe he is crippled,
Maybe a
widow somewhere is shedding tears in grief,
Maybe a
son's eyes somewhere are bloodshot with rage and vengeance
Maybe I could have helped....
But before sinking too deep in the pit of guilt,
I retrieve myself.
Guilt takes the shape of doubt.
Maybe he was a hoax,
a gang perhaps(the Others,I'm sure)
Maybe he thought he has seen some sort of apparition.
But these doubts of mine are crushed
when I am reminded of the scream,
that heart rendering scream.
Maybe I could have done something,
Maybe my righteousness is just a farce.
I do nothing other than consoling my heart.
Believe me,whenever I remember this incident,
it begins with being ashamed at my uselessness
and ends with a series of maybes and maybe nots.
Maybe I'm not righteous or just or even human,
Maybe I am
for maybe i saved one life that day,
that of my own.
4 comments:
Brilliant . I really liked it . What inspired you ? You could actually write a few words at the end of the post , or just mail it to me . :)
Wow!! Beautifully expressed!!! Like Kislay I also wonder if you have inspiration...
Your dilemma, your fear, your guilt ad uncertainty all have come through...
I would agree with the last line, "for maybe i saved one life that day,
that of my own."
More than anything else, I loved the ending! And unlike most poems, where the person is heroic and saves a life, you've expressed something very real.
It's a really nice poem! Did something like this actually happen to you?
As a girl, fighting back the world, the dirty world, every time I step out of my dwelling, I can totally recognise with the fear, the dilemma of any other girl in the same situation...how do we trust others when fear has so much over powered us? On the roads, in the bus, the train, anywhere... its all the same.
And then human nature being selfish you cant really think of helping someone else, when you yourself are not sure whether you would reach your destination safely...
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