This is a poem spread across multiple pages. Please read in order. Please click on links below to read the earlier passages from the poem.
The Fool - I.
The Fool - II.
The Fool - III.
The Fool - IV.
The Fool - V.
The Fool - VI.
And make bearable the turmoil within,
The unrest, the regrets, the walking thin
Along the edges and never jumping in
Of watching from the sidelines –the unspeakable sin
Of being a spectator while the drama of life unfolds
Of being a creature of circumstance and not a master that holds
His destiny in his hands and is not afraid to create
A life as per his tastes- is not a victim of fate
But alas it’s not easy to rise above one’s lot
It takes courage to tread, where the path is hot
And the price one may pay would be burnt-up feet
But who knows- one may end up flying in a fleet!
When feet get injured, one has to sprout some wings
And when ones lost ones love, one just laughs and sings.
And yet the new life one hopes for one has to carefully carve
Would it be propitious to drink from Grail, while millions starve?
One can shine as a hero through efforts in war
But is the glory worth the bloodshed – is it at par
With the contentment felt on a job well done
The joy of a journey that one has just begun
The pride of knowing that you made the world safe
You made it habitable for the mighty and the waif
You ushered in a peace that is not fragile or frail
That on the mission of peace you did not fail.
Is only a battle filled with gore a claim to fame
Or can with humility and peace one can earn a name
So its not just how high you rise, it’s also about how you rise
Whether you are a saint or a sinner – a Fool or wise.
And whether it was Love that guided you, or a desire to rule,
Whether peace was an end you sought, or it was just a tool
To carve a name for yourself and set it in stone
On the sands of history, and for self get a throne
And without fighting a war become a king at large
A hero, to be held in awe, that could easily take charge,
Of the worlds problems and show the right way
Rule the ‘commons’ by proxy –and if one may so say
Become a sort of god head – all-knowing and wise
And impose ones will on others- so that one may rise
Beyond the curse of commonness- into the Hall of Fame
You never desired for peace, just desired that your name
Be embossed in gold and not be forgotten in time
To this end you worked for peace- and not for reasons sublime.
So peace you might have brought, but was it out of care?
Did it stem from Love, did you ever dare
To move beyond defining peace as an absence of strife
To a state where people are happy and who daily rejoice
Who are living to their fullest- each a hero in himself-
-On a journey that is meaningful and enhances his self
Where the Quest is not for a few but a part and parcel of Life
The Grail is sought by all- but the step is light
And pure - as the peace is a result of Love and Care
Where people help each other and common dreams share
It is that peace – if you can usher- that would soothe your soul
An absence of war – should not be your goal
Just like Love and the Quest, It’s the journey that’s prime
To work for Peace without Love – is a horrendous crime.
