Favourite Corner on Earth
Holding a weary lantern,
Life led me on the path ahead
Through dark alleys
And brightly lit squares
We trudged on
Until we came
To a shiny glass house
With pools of blue and freshly-mown lawns
Dim lights hung on bereft trees
Who still dreamt of snow-peaked dawns
Little cars stood on the driveway
And rare books on the shelf
Soft music tiptoed in the hallway
Where a bejeweled cat admired herself.
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said and turned my back
To the quiet loneliness of an elite life
By and by, as we left the city
The landscape grew sparse and thin
Rocks crumbled to dust; dust to desert
Under the hot unforgiving sun
I wiped my brow
And plodded on
Into the crescent moon
That hung low on the horizon
Like a golden ring hooked onto a maiden's ear
I looked at the stars shivering in cold
With no cloudy blankets to unfold
Thorny plants here had long forgotten
The sweet smell of soft damp earth
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said without waiting
For the bedouin's caravan passing by
Life and I then reached a village
Where red and white houses
Lay strewn around
Sapphire blue oceans hugged the coast
Chasing little children up the shore
Floral skirts darted by
On backseats of vrooming motorbikes
The bohemian sun watched enthralled
Artists and Sailors, one and all
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said, after some thought
Youthful summers never last
Later in the day we arrived
At the gates of a large city in ruins
Headless kings and warriors in clay
Stood guarding barren dunes
Temples and palaces of marble and gold
Savaged by war centuries old
A desolate spirit
Danced on the breeze
Bemoaning her lover's death
Murderers and rapists
Had struck him down
On their silky wedding bed
Poets and musicians had come and gone
Reaped millions from her haunting song
In death too, she lay abused
Fallen victim to greed's ruse
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I screamed and covered my ears
From the weeping widow's shrill cries
We picked our trails and walked again
Through bright green meadows
And insect-infested jungles
Filled with birds of rainbow hues
I climbed mountain ranges
On all fours
And passed through
Curtains of waterfalls
Till we reached the icy summit
Dozing on a bed of clouds
We lighted bidis with the rising sun
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I sighed, and listened mute
To the last note on the shepherd's flute
Then, we came to an old house
Of cracked pipes and peeling paint
Water in the well had long run dry
But the garden looked nice and quaint
Carried out on the breeze were
Baked cinnamon and sugar puffs
Enticing little boys with arrows
Who circled bonfires in feathered tufts
Somewhere in the heart of the cottage
A woman's soft humming was born
I knew the tune from an old folklore
Of a prince who once fished the moon
From deep under the ocean floor
She had ribbons in her plaits
And a baby at her breast
I looked longingly at her empty lap
For a moment of peaceful rest
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"Yes", I nodded silently
As I curled my tired self beside her... to sleep for eternity!
Life led me on the path ahead
Through dark alleys
And brightly lit squares
We trudged on
Until we came
To a shiny glass house
With pools of blue and freshly-mown lawns
Dim lights hung on bereft trees
Who still dreamt of snow-peaked dawns
Little cars stood on the driveway
And rare books on the shelf
Soft music tiptoed in the hallway
Where a bejeweled cat admired herself.
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said and turned my back
To the quiet loneliness of an elite life
By and by, as we left the city
The landscape grew sparse and thin
Rocks crumbled to dust; dust to desert
Under the hot unforgiving sun
I wiped my brow
And plodded on
Into the crescent moon
That hung low on the horizon
Like a golden ring hooked onto a maiden's ear
I looked at the stars shivering in cold
With no cloudy blankets to unfold
Thorny plants here had long forgotten
The sweet smell of soft damp earth
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said without waiting
For the bedouin's caravan passing by
Life and I then reached a village
Where red and white houses
Lay strewn around
Sapphire blue oceans hugged the coast
Chasing little children up the shore
Floral skirts darted by
On backseats of vrooming motorbikes
The bohemian sun watched enthralled
Artists and Sailors, one and all
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I said, after some thought
Youthful summers never last
Later in the day we arrived
At the gates of a large city in ruins
Headless kings and warriors in clay
Stood guarding barren dunes
Temples and palaces of marble and gold
Savaged by war centuries old
A desolate spirit
Danced on the breeze
Bemoaning her lover's death
Murderers and rapists
Had struck him down
On their silky wedding bed
Poets and musicians had come and gone
Reaped millions from her haunting song
In death too, she lay abused
Fallen victim to greed's ruse
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I screamed and covered my ears
From the weeping widow's shrill cries
We picked our trails and walked again
Through bright green meadows
And insect-infested jungles
Filled with birds of rainbow hues
I climbed mountain ranges
On all fours
And passed through
Curtains of waterfalls
Till we reached the icy summit
Dozing on a bed of clouds
We lighted bidis with the rising sun
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"No", I sighed, and listened mute
To the last note on the shepherd's flute
Then, we came to an old house
Of cracked pipes and peeling paint
Water in the well had long run dry
But the garden looked nice and quaint
Carried out on the breeze were
Baked cinnamon and sugar puffs
Enticing little boys with arrows
Who circled bonfires in feathered tufts
Somewhere in the heart of the cottage
A woman's soft humming was born
I knew the tune from an old folklore
Of a prince who once fished the moon
From deep under the ocean floor
She had ribbons in her plaits
And a baby at her breast
I looked longingly at her empty lap
For a moment of peaceful rest
"Is this your favourite corner on earth?"
Life asked of me with questioning eyes
"Yes", I nodded silently
As I curled my tired self beside her... to sleep for eternity!