The return journey began as soon as it blasted in.
What I gained at my birth,
Went on dwindling as days passed…
A Poem by Dr. Jernail S. Anand
THE RETURN JOURNEY
The idea of the journey was mine
For some years,
I was riding the crest and then,
Some years were taken
To de-crest it when the decline set in.
The only mistake I made was not to realize
That there is no journey
Which is not a return journey.
From a center, we are thrown apart,
And then, the rope of time keeps pulling as back.
For a ship which leaves the shore
What lies beyond the destination?
A journey back to the shore or origin.
It cannot simply go on and on.
The return journey began as soon as it blasted in.
What I gained at my birth,
Went on dwindling as days passed,
Every day, like a Marlin, took off a big chunk
Of my flesh, and at last, I found myself
Reduced to a skeleton.
Was this the journey?
From a skeleton to a skeleton?
In between,
Filled with a few adventures
Over which I had scant control?
As an awakened soul,
I preferred to take some acts over my head too.
I thought it was not good to always accused gods.
I was using my brain,
And I was responsible for my deeds.
God smiled at my decision
To take him off the hook.
Since then, we are working at tandem.
He has drawn a pattern for me
Within which I have to move.
The uneducated mass often know
How to please gods.
They say, It is the will of god.
Milton too tried to appease gods
When he tried to justify the ways of god to men.
I try to justify the ways of men to gods
It does not hurt god
Rather He feels happy to see his son
Standing at his own feet,
And working with responsibility.
I am an eternal journeyman.
Always driving back to the point of origin.
And on the way, encountering
A hundred adventures making the journey
Worth being given a chance.
***
DREAM
Whose dream are the clouds?
And whose dream is this water?
Whose dream are you
Oh if you can realize!
How thirsty are deserts!
That is why
They crave for water
And as they crave for water,
I crave for you, deserted as I lie.
The night dreams of stars
To cover up its darkness
And a flower
Dreams, of butter flies
To prove, it has nectar.
Look at these wounds.
No one else could cut so deep
And yet cause no pain
I see your face in these cuts
And wish they never heal.
You who have left me,
Are left with no power on these cuts
Which keep their baby mouths open
Who tell me “She loved thee
From eternity to eternity.”
____________________
Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, based in Chandigarh, is an Indian poet and scholar credited with 170 plus books of English literature, philosophy and spirituality. He won great Serbian Award Charter of Morava and his name adorns the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. He was honored with Seneca Award LAUDIS CHARTA by Academy of Arts & Philosophical Sciences, Bari, Italy 2024. He is Founder President of the International Academy of Ethics and conferred Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) by University of Engineering & Management, (UEM) Jaipur. Email anandjs55@yahoo.com
