There is more to life
Than the daily monotony,
To awaken from sweet sleep
So rudely by the alarm,
And then with hurried steps
Just enough time to be dressed,
No time to bid goodbye
A kiss or hug for dear ones

It’s the call of the daily grind
In snow or in rain,
To take in the stench and the noise
To jostle with the crowd in the train,
To gulp down a cup of coffee
Then quickly to the office,
To greet work mates
And a boss with a sulky face

There is more to life
Than another project,
Another round of conferences
Another business trip
When you choose to miss,
A daughter’s graduation
A dear friend’s invitation,
That cherished vacation

Avoid the pain and regret
When in death’s bed,
That you had no time to ponder and reflect
To pause and smell the roses,
Because like a hunter with a concentrated aim
So oblivious of all you became,
Save the work that entered your very soul
That you had no time for those you adore.

There is more to life
Than the thirst for more wealth
No contentment in the desert waste of your soul,
Straining your eyes with each hour
Markets and stock indices to decipher,

So many in poverty and squalor
But that acquisition is all that matters
Blighting your soul with endless desires.

There is more to life
Than the glare of camera lights
The dazzle, glamour and sleepless nights,
The applause of crazed fans
A mega super star idolized by all,
Unwittingly the end you craved for
To be hunted down in all places
Just a glimpse of your face.

So much you envy
Those who pause, reflect, and feel
The beauty around for the mind to heal,
Who walk freely in the park
Or stop by the cafe
But it’s the price you must pay,
Another pill, another shot in the arm
There’s a show to perform.

There is more to life
Than the allure of power,
Many lofty speeches to make
Then every promise to break,
By deception and crooked means
And so often seems
At last to descend to shame and pain
Gone the ill-gotten gain.

There is more to life
Than to be among the crowd
To march and to shout
Our narrow allegiance to be proud,
To trade our individuality
For mere conformity,
To meet the expectations of others
Silencing the voice to roam and explore.

There is more to life
Than to be fixated to rituals and traditions
Forgetting the beauty of silence,
To confine the universal spirit to dogma and belief
When it’s like the very air we breathe,
To raise the banner of ethnicity
With such pride and hostility
Forgetting our humanity.