A Tale!

By Soumik Paul Angan

Beautiful, charismatic and sharp as a knife,

Always smiling and enjoying every moment of life.

Friends called her the “happy princess”,

Who was never sad and never cried about less.

She made friends like no one else,

But one friend she should have avoided, everyone tells.

Things were casual in the beginning,

But with every passing second, things were demeaning.

Little did she know, he would do this to her,

Choke her and take her to a land very far.

The sign of love was no more working,

Every day the toll got higher and doors were locking.

The world started to panic and cry for help,

Who do you save, your loved ones, or yourself?

Some dived right in, some stayed home.

No place was spared neither Mecca nor Rome.

We thought we were advanced more than ever,

We made weapons instead of hospitals whatsoever.

We found ways to kill each other,

But we struggled to stand for one another.

All those missiles and bullets were now useless.

How do you find an enemy, so small and ruthless?

Our so-called leaders didn't know what to do,

All they could tell us ' you, stay home too'.

Then we understood the value of kindness,

Friends, family, and relationships are all timeless.

We did manage to fight it then,

Still frightened that it might show up again.

Things did become better after the war,

Now we enjoy our walks more than driving a car.

We cherish every moment we live and breath,

Looking for a future where we all smile showing our teeth.

We didn’t understand and thought others were a quitter,

Until it took away my sister, who was a fighter.

She hoped for a world where we lived as one,

I wish, she saw it before she was gone.

More than thirty years have passed,

But the wounds are yet to heal,

Still the numbers are not processed,

How many did that teeny tiny virus kill?

By Soumik Paul Angan