Self Love

*“The evil that man do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones;” Shakespeare in Julius Caesar Self Love Time has now dawned to start loving myself After fifty-five years serving others In public sector with love and passion With striking sincerity of purpose With deft devotion and dedication With candid commitment and conviction With integrity as the best friend And holding honesty in the right hand As inscribed in the contours of my fate Irrespective of who`s at helm of state~ Serving at diverse rungs of the ladder From the lowest steps to the highest stairs Caring for the health of the public purse Sinking in the sea of stark stagnation~ Carrying bricks to rebuild the country To make the land a better place to dwell For all, heedless of caste, colour or creed Regardless of tints of flags they brandished~ Oft stuck between the anvil and hammer Serving as screen against storms and showers With the shoulders burdened with heaps of loads Some times to the detriment of my health. Now ditched down the deep well of oblivion By so-called friends, envious of my seat Who used me as props to climb the ladder And nestle themselves with safety at ease As ravenous wolves in sheep`s clothing As lizards changing hues to suit their needs~ Such is the fate of the evolving world Where one`s goodness is interred with one`s bones* Or turned to ashes and sprinkled away To sink in the solitude of the sea. Now with hair turning grey and the bones lean When moving hundred steps is a burden When the body night and day pines with pain I feel that during my long journey of life I have turned my back to loving myself~ And now is the time to carve a small spot In the corridors of my senile heart At long last to grow the grains of self love, But not to close the door to share with friends Lessons learnt to brave the wafting wild winds. My voyage of life has brought to the fore Self love is not synonym of ego But at day`s end a decent desired goal To be myself with my stress, strains and strength Just a solitary human being Singular like a single shining star Scanning the deep sea of the inner self.