I wanted to do much but never had time,
I just did my job, was that my crime?
I planted saplings and watched them grow
And went to work, where else would I go?
The seasons changed, my workplace changed name
But my desktop routine remained the same
At the end of the day straight home, I returned
And handed over to my wife whatever I earned
My children, like the saplings, blossomed and grew
One day they would go, I very well knew
Safe into a locker, my dreams I kept
Occasionally I remembered them and wept
But my family gave me so much joy
So, I celebrated life watching them enjoy
Days, weeks and months turned into years
And finally, I faced my life’s worst fears
The senior-most officer I had become
And my time to retire had finally come
My hair had fully turned grey,
My saplings too had withered away
My children were busy with their jobs every day
My beloved was no more, I was alone today
To clear my sorrow, my house I began to clean
And became busy, just as I had before been
A box I found, while cleaning my closet
Which gave me meaning at my life’s sunset
In it, there was a key, that I had safely kept
The key to my dreams, which had silently wept
O! They were alive, just like me
They too wanted to simply be free
I released them and my face began to glow
A warmth from within my heart began to grow
A purpose and meaning to life I had now found
To the skies, I cheered jubilantly from the ground
“Yes! I have retired fulfilling the duties of a lifetime
I have new dreams today and also the luxury of time!
© Sushrut Badhe
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