My Warrior - Legend
a gentleman from a grand, but time-worn oil-painting,
unbelievably handsome in his forties,
immaculately dressed in a formal grey suit,
from the backdrop of a luscious tea-garden
on a mountaineous plush valley,
looked at me with an intriguing smile.....
in my maternal grandmother’s house!
“Who is he?”
I remember enquiring my mother,
“And where did he go?”
My mother's eyes welled up...
but she wiped tears from her eyes,
and always said in a firm voice,
“He never left,
He is with us”!
Some day I realized,
my grandfather passed away in his prime years,
from a terrible disease called Meningitis!
cruelly his life was cut short, but
he left a legacy of honesty, integrity, bravery,
compassion for the poor and the needy…
he protected a huge population of
distressed villagers in his area,
from being ruthlessly slaughtered,
when the country became devastated
with riots between religious groups.
Villagers composed and dedicated a song,
chanting the bravery of a lonely warrior
who courageously stood for them
against barbarous enemies,
sacrificing his own happiness,
so numerous men, women, children
could live unharmed, and sleep peacefully
in their humble cottages.
King Arthur, legendary knight of the Round Table...
Legendary Robin Hood, the outlaw of Sherwood forest...
The legend of my own warrior,
jamais oublie'!
Copyright ©
Malabika Ray Choudhury
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