If you cannot be a poet, be a poem… The great Austrian psychoanalyst Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, writes in his most notable book ‘Mans Search for Meaning” that man can endure any hardships as long as he can find meaning in his struggles, experiences and expression of his feelings. Every man fights his own battle and it becomes unique for each one of us. This write up is an invitation to every single one of us to “light up” this universe amidst all the battles and hardships we face. For, let us remember we do not serve the planet by being small. Rather, we serve the universe by making the most of our lives. It’s another great German philosopher, cultural critic, composer and a Poet, Friedrich Nietzsche who goes on to say; “It doesn’t interest me, what you do for a living. I want to know
what you ache for, have you touched the center of your own sorrow, have you danced with joy in ecstasy, have you seen beauty in even mundane things, have you lived with failure, have you got up from despair and grief, have you been alone with yourself when all else falls away? If yes to some of the above, your life resembles a poem, even if you donot know the rhymes & rhythms of being a poet. Edgar Alan Poe’s definition of a poet “a poet is one who uses words to create beauty. It isn’t a profession; it is way of life” and I would add to this, it is not only a poet but also we, the groundlings who know to sing the notes of life and song of death and I wish to call this ‘A Psalm of Life’.
‘A Psalm of Life’… If life speaks to you, your life is a poem If you are honest from the heart, you are a poem If you are an inspiration for yourself, you are a poem If you hold values dear to yourself, your life is a poem If you chase your dreams without losing focus, your life is a poem
If you have found a sparrow with a broken leg and put her back into her nest, your life is a poem If you benefit from the ‘empty moments’ without experiencing loneliness, your life is a poem If you can bring back for your loved ones a poem from your distance journey, your life is a poem If you dance in wilderness with ecstasy in the tips of your fingers & toes, your life is a poem If you experience the adventure of being just alive, your life is a poem If you can wakeup each day with gratitude, your life is a poem If you can forgive yourself for a mistake, for others theirs, your life is a poem If for you ‘moment now’ is everything, your life is a poem If you feel the wonderment at the world surrounding you, your life is a poem
If you face what’s waiting there for you, with no hesitance or fear of the unknown, your life is a poem If you cherish life for all its worth, your life is a poem If you can arrange pieces of puzzles, even if some are out of sync, your life is a poem If you can read the hues of your emotions, your life is a poem If your life isn’t easy, struggles are there, but you just don’t care, your life is a poem If some nights are filled with tears and days with disappointments, still you find your way around, your life is a poem If you looked out, found no one around, yet succeeded, your life is a poem If you reached out to others, when they are in need, your life is a poem If your kindness & love helped to wipe a tear from someone’s eyes, your life is a poem If a spark can ignite the fire in you, your life is a poem
If you believe that the grave is not your goal, your life is a poem If you find music in the funeral drums, your life is a poem If you find two roads diverged in a wood & you took the road less traveled by, your life is a poem If you endure, keep going & rise above adversity, your life is a poem If you can trust yourself, when all men doubt you, your life is a poem If you are hated, don’t give way to hating, your life is a poem If you can meet triumph & failure, the twin imposter, just the same, your life is a poem If you lose and start again at your beginning, your life is a poem If you can walk with crowds & walk with Kings, but not lose the common touch, your life is a poem If your life is full of care, but still you have time to stand and stare, your life is a poem
If your eyes are moist with tears, you still yearn for laughter, your life is a poem If you overcome tragedies, survive hardest of times, still manage to be kind and good, your life is a poem If you wander in dark, still want to share your sliver of light, your life is a poem If you are dressed for life, but still smile to see the grave from the drawn curtains, your life is a poem If you can fill a single minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, your life is a poem If you are ready to go, before your time to go, your life is a poem
If you depart, leaving your footprints on the sands of time, cherished memories etched in loved one’s heart, your life has been a poem, a sonnet, a lyric, a musical extravaganza.
Dr ShriMati Das Director Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre Embassy of India Mexico City MEXICO