Death Note

By Priyanka Dave

I am here

You may want to avoid me,

Deny me, reject me,

But, I am here

Knocking your door everywhere!

Upon my arrival, muscles relax,

Skin sags and eyes shrink.

I am defined by ‘NO’s

No pulse, No breath, and No reflexes

My arrival is not welcomed in houses

Followed by shouts, shrieks, and cries

Amidst this hue and cry, I wonder

“Why am I the villain in everyone’s life?”

The villain that destroys the body in a moment,

But, also frees the soul for enlightenment.

The villain that buries one in the tomb,

But, also unearths the passage for advent in a new womb.

If liberation is the true wanting of the soul,

Being the ‘ONE’ that grants the same to every soul!

The ‘ONE’ that brings relief from worldly pains!

How am I the villain?

I am the destination of every living

I am the inevitable being

Not an antonym of ‘LIFE’

But, a part of ‘LIFE’!

Trembling bodies, at funeral homes

Breathlessness, on failing health

Coldness, at hospital visits

Why is Fear of ‘ME’ more dreadful than ‘ME’?

Loved ones, despise ME

Older ones, fear ME

Ailing ones, awaiting ME

Depressed ones, embrace ME

Deep inside, the fear of ‘ME’ simmers

Below the layer of uncertainty, it shivers

Fear of ‘ME’ quivers in every heart

Hoping to avoid me at every cost

Is my existence that horrific?

The world without ME

Immortality, with painful memories intact.

Unending life, with all the hurt, diseases, and heartbreak trapped.

Pain by ME, a one-time affair

Pain by LIFE, committed relationship

Yet, I’m infamous for brutality,

Is it fair?

Every second inch YOU closer to ME

Every breath moves you towards ME

So live your life until I knock on your door,

Don’t DIE before ‘ME’!

Don’t die before ‘DEATH’!

By Priyanka Dave