Can Death Be Beautiful?

By Preksha Kaliraman

A young woman was found lying on the sea shore,

Who seemed lifeless until her eyes fluttered under the bright sunlight.

Her tired eyes didn’t carry a youthful twinkle anymore,

The deep black eyes made her look more dead than alive.

Endless tears falling down her cheeks expressed unbearable grief,

Her life was hopeless and her heart devoid of all beliefs.

Staring at the stretch of the endless sea before her eyes,

She thought of all the events that had left her alone under the hollow blue sky.

The first memory that flashed in her mind,

Was a pair of sparkling caramel brown eyes.

She had collided with someone and had fell on the floor,

As his hand held hers to help, something fluttered in her heart’s core.

When she gazed at his soft, flowing curls,

Some unknown feelings began to unfurl.

The moment her eyes fell on his face she realised,

Like the Bollywood romances, she had fallen in love at first sight.

The young man’s heart had almost leapt out of his chest,

Her voice played like a symphony and he forgot the rest.

Gazing at her face was akin to watching a dream come to life,

Something about that moment had made him feel more alive.

For a few days something innocent seemed to unfold,

With shy glances being passed in corridors.

But the moment they exchanged their names,

They somewhere knew that they had been doomed by fate.

Their names rang different religious sounds,

But it was through the pious thread of love that they were bound.

They promised to remain together for an eternity,

Little had they known that love according to the society is insanity.

As the word spread, the families became outraged,

How dare they bring their families to such shame.

Those who hated each other magically teamed up,

To bring an end to this shameful “destined love” setup.

As the two sat holding hands near the shore,

Someone grabbed the woman’s hair and with anger roared,

When the man tried to help her, he was beaten mercilessly,

Blood dripped down his forehead but he tried to reach her helplessly.

The woman begged to leave the man alive,

Willing to offer in exchange her own life.

But a scream was heard making her turn around,

The man had been stabbed and lay waiting for death on the sandy ground.

The families now left them alone in death,

Condemning them to a life of separation,

To whisper “I love you”, the man had used his last breath,

The woman whispered back “I love you” between sobs holding his hand,

The woman fainted unable to handle the grief of his death,

While the waves swept away the man’s body to the ocean’s depth.

Now she sits on the shore, her eyes devoid of life,

Because mere breaths cannot help us survive.

She witnessed the death of the love of her life,

Now she’s walking into the depths of the ocean hoping to reunite.

The incessant fear of death grips every heart,

One wonders about the memories piercing one’s soul like darts.

We fear the love slipping from our lives,

Like sand through the fingers of an outstretched hand.

What if we lose the person who is the meaning of our life,

What if it leaves us helpless trying nothing but to understand.

There lies a dark mysterious beauty in death,

The cries of pain are heard from the heart’s deepest depths.

Even death lost its gravity when it came to a soul grieving for its love,

The hope of reuniting with the beloved seemed to be enough.

The boundless ocean became home of their love filled melodies,

And the separated twin souls hopefully found each other.

The world has converted countless love stories into tragedies,

But the souls find each other in this world or maybe another.

By Preksha Kaliraman