Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Life At Forty

Years zero to ten
you live in a small universe
called Innocence;
not many inhabitants
mostly mom, dad and the toys.
You don't know what life is.

Years ten to twenty
you grow out of the skin of Innocence
into the world called Adolescence
More inhabitants: mom, dad and the books,
teachers, friends and girlfriend; and
discovery of a sensation down the navel.
But you still don't know what life is.

Years twenty to thirty
Cosy in the sparkling skin of Youth
you expand your universe:
more friends, girlfriends and the boss.
Sometimes you listen to the genital
sometimes to the growling stomach
the remaining hours spent in office.
Too busy to know what life is.

Years thirty to forty
You're the Man. Mom's gone, but there's wife.
Coping with arrivals and departures in life
you cling on to something dearer -- your job!
More stomachs to feed, more ambitions to fuel
Besides paying for the new car and the flat!
And the genital? At times a caged bird, at times
an uncaged lion. You're so worried about life
That you don't know what life is.

At the age of forty
You've been there, done that: nothing to prove!
The genital winks like a battle-hardened general,
the stomach assures, "I can take care of myself!"
Memories are new girlfriends: ah, the joys of adultery!
and unfinished dreams your new drinking buddies.
Over Scotch you plan and plot; and when night falls
you place your head on the bosom of memories and smile:
So far I lived for others, lived by others, lived up to others
My life begins only now.

11 comments:

Sepiamniac said...

simply lovely!!

Anonymous said...

loved the conclusion !!!

- Anu

Santosh Sadasivan said...

Very beautifully crafted poesy..I loved the way it swelled up.
Cheers !!

anu said...

sets the reader contemplate , simple , flowy , catchy ! lookin for more subty detailed verses !

Truly Yours said...

A complete delight to read. Whoever said life begins at forty had a point for all of us, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Although still far from the mark, you gave me motivation to look forward to that number in my calender of life. However, I wonder, life at forty must be a lot different for a woman from that for a man. When you can think about sitting with scotch and putting your head in the bosom of memories, we women would be worrying about wrinkles and menopause! Care to think about the other side of the coin?

Amrita Sabat said...

nice!! loved it!

Unknown said...

nice one

margee said...

m in my third phase nd i can connect to what u say....
U ROCK BG !
very well written !

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

the best of your posts in a long time. I loved it.

Anonymous said...

hii SPARKLING MAN...

i came from nothing
some kid in kanpur
now, iam flying with the birds
Iam a prince, Yes, I will
get the crown
where I began is not
where i 'll always be
Then thought it was all what it is
memories burned out
no time to smell the fumes
melodies turned down
and time to sing new tunes
when i look back
i dont recognize myself
got the heart of a winner
but look back at me
is someone else.
HERE I AM
walking on the grass
on the run to catch
my famous future.
HERE ME OUT....
- sam