Reflections of the Past Visions of the Future

No of lines: 48; No of words: 397 Reflections of the Past, Visions of the Future My mind brims with a string of reflections As the screen drops on half a century In public service with love and passion, Ever strolling the path of modesty Serving at diverse rungs of the ladder From lowest steps to holding the rudder. All along my lengthy path, most top guns Would digest all that I would cook, with taste, So much care I invested in the run, But most friends would take the task as time`s waste Out of sheer greed and envy of my shine, Soon attaining the ranks of upper shrine. Some wished to untie the the knot of my boat Some wished to take the wind out of my sail Some envied my coat and brooded vile thoughts Some sought from path of my goal to derail Some disdained the rules of law I applied Many stared at me with their grudging eyes. I learnt through the hard way that office ground Could be the breeding bed of jealousy Where vile men could stab me with a deep wound And close friends turn out to be enemy Alas, ready to oust me from my seat And without fear to celebrate their feat. I surrendered not to shades of despair Nor renounced the sparks of my cherished goal Nor retired in the gloom with dark scare Nor sanctioned the shrine of my silken soul Nor disowned the gem of my inner self, But amidst weird, wild winds remained myself. When a burden was too heavy to bear And to share with someone I could not afford, Without any shadow of doubt or fear I would fan the flame of faith in the lord Whom in the depth of my heart I held dear And the way forward would be crystal clear. My present life bears the shines of the past, Drawing from inner self, inspiration To treat my day`s work as a piece of art As a pearl of pristine pure creation As a fragment of gem to be adored As an offering of love to the Lord. Now with my hair turning grey and bones lean Crystal balls envision my future life, Though dipped in pains, to be calm and serene Though smitten with the sneaky stings of strife, To be dispensed in prayers at His shrine Until the very last breath I shall sign.