An Awakening

a poem by Venkatesan P

I lit a lamp and floated it in the river
There came a whiff, there came a shower
The storm was raging
The trees were trembling
I did not know
How to shield the lamp!
I held the lamp to the naked sky
There came a roar, there came a thunder
The rain was pouring
The light was flickering
I did not know how to shield the lamp!

The gale was rushing, the rain lashing
The flicker was frantic, life went a begging
Embers were glowing
Darkness was enveloping
I gave up all hope
Of saving the lamp

I sat in the rain groping in the dark
Suddenly it dawned on me, ‘an awakening’
That all my fears were unfounded
That the light was somewhere safely concealed
And there was no need for shielding it
I no longer wept
Nor whimpered because, I knew.

The cold was freezing, I said what if?
The sky was rending, I said so what?
Withered leaves complained
Animals ran helter skelter
A waif was wailing somewhere
For, they did not know!

But I kept my cool and remained serene
Without a trace of worry and agony
For I knew that no harm
Could ever befall my lamp
Even if the Earth were
To be rent asunder or skies to fall
For my lamp is no ordinary lamp of wick and oil
To be extinguished for naught by hail or gale
But of an immortal nature
Nay, it is the Lamp of Eternity
Hidden from and within my being
Indeed in the soul of every living entity.