Living on the mandate of others
Is basically Life imprisonment
Yet we all bear through it
All Smiles through a gritted teeth.
A rite of passage of course
To come unscathed through the other side
Full of sudden wisdom and cryptic cynicism
Silently afraid to cut these choking umbilical
chords
Nourishment and community and all
Convincing ourselves this is what it is
To Be Human,
Taking the place of the Others
Who won and lost
Losing our wonder
And wondering what we lost-
The essence of being ourselves
The hyenas feed on our soul
Only when it is exposed
Keep it intact tightly within you
Guard it like a watchdog
Fundamental rights and all.
Worship it like a temple and
Pray you don’t lose yourself
For the call of others
Whatever may be the cost.
I wonder if there is any such thing as independence.... but too often dependency snares us... it's all about balance.
ReplyDeleteAtleast a degree on independence and acknowledgement that you're living for yourself
DeleteI agree with Bjorn, one hopes to find a balance between the needs of others and one's own needs. I think this comes with years of living, and experience.
ReplyDeleteWhen one is so far into other's needs some drastic steps have goe taken to reclaim the self
DeleteJust when we think we are truly independent, along comes the dependency thing!
ReplyDeleteYes! I guess the Crux of adulting
DeleteNice, loved the first stanza, rings true.
ReplyDeleteIt is a struggle to learn and find our own place in life. Experience can be both a cruel and hard teacher, but an efficient one. Boundaries are hard to set, but very much needed when learning to balance the needs of others, and taking care of ourselves. A wonderful write Samyuktha!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You just penned my poem's pulse!
DeleteOh, we really don't want to live on the mandate of others! I agree that would be imprisonment. We have to live to the mandate of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting ...and yes your theme is right on... I believe there are more "current" pictures depicting your creative perspective of this reality driving it more into the "heart" of what you have uncovered. But, what do I know?
ReplyDeleteZQ
Very much so. All my current poetry is based on my immediate experience unless otherwise stated
DeleteGuard it like a watchdog
ReplyDeleteFundamental rights and all.
While one has to survive the ability to balance one's own needs in the face of others is a noble thing!
Hank
Noble and underrated
Delete