I Am

Who am I is a question, That baffles and confuses me. Aren’t I a stranger to myself, When in me angels and demons cohabit, Dwelling side by side. Sometimes I am mired in confusion. Sometimes I feel I am a moth caught fast in the fire, And about to be burnt, when drawn to light Mindless of the great peril looming. Sometimes I feel I am sidelined and ignored, And left out from the mainstream of life, Like a book stacked away on a rusty shelf In a dark corner, never touched or dusted. After a wave of rising energy I fall into a state when I feel so inert and dull. At times, feel that I am a lifeboat without oars. But soon I alight on the lighthouse of joy. As the cycle of seasons keeps changing The pendulum of my life swings from joy to sorrow And hope and despair are threaded, Into the tapestry of life as warp and woof Essentially kind and compassionate, I am moved to tears whenever I see, An instance of human suffering And tears of joy well my eyes When I witness human excellence and pride over it. Time has mellowed me, and wisdom has taught me, To see the inner light shining in me. Even when dark clouds creep into my night sky Beneath the façade of my aching torso, I see a soul eternal and indestructible. At best, I like to think that I am a child of God, And I strive to be led by that inner light. Even when I swim in the doldrum of life, I pray to release the infinitesimal quantum of energy, That keeps the fire in me ever-blazing, To add my lustre even to the stars. To love and be loved is my credo, For “even if I speak in the language of angels and have no love I am only a noisy, empty gong”. There is a spark of heavenly fire in each one of us Though it may lie dormant in broad daylight It kindles up, beams, and blazes In the dark hours of adversity. So, frolic in the Living water and dance on the cliff An edifice constructed through years of hard labor May be destroyed overnight but keep building anyway!