Saturday, February 2, 2013

The Great Mansion

     The Great Mansion
Click image to enlarge

Dedicated to all mankind. The truth of all our lives...

Poem Text

It is a majestic thing to all who see;
The mansion across the horizon
With rose gardens and tall trees:
A regal monument stood at the center - unshaken.

Passing by the moor, an old man often
Smiled gladly when his eyes caught
This magnificent structure abandoned
By time, which was once admired a lot.

It was a palace all sang and danced, it prayed
For everyone to live and enjoy life with charm;
It was where grandmas baked and children played
And welcomed every living soul with open arms.

It was a home for lovers of romance:
In the rose garden, under the starry night
Embracing each other in a complete trance;
For all other eyes it was a delightful sight.

Admiring its every detail crafted up by pouring sweat,
He stood staring at it looking very upset.
Then his proud smile gradually began to fade
When the liveliness was lost - what fate!

He could not concede its loss in the battle
With time, of being the dear thing forever;
Where he saw little kids play and giggle
Is now filled with haunting silence all over.

It was once a castle of a great king
And there were celebrations all the time.
Everything is blown away by howling wind
For emptiness to prevail like eternal sunshine.

It is neither pleasing those new eyes,
Nor it is a structure of glory anymore.
He wonders why it cannot be otherwise:
Why cannot it stand a chance anymore?

It steals attention of anyone passing on the way,
But it remains just as good as anything to watch;
"It was a great mansion," is what a custodian said,
Regaling its stories with others holding a glass of scotch.

He longed to live in the mansion like before
Thinking he could rediscover his inner self,
But it looked old fashioned and he could not adore
As it was gravely beaten by time, like himself.

Left in ruins, will it die alone in oblivion,
Or survive as a legend in the pages of history?
Why does anyone care where he is buried
When all his feats are reckoned ordinary?

Thus goes the song of roaring rise and silent fall
All the hard worked footprints slowly get erased
Time always wins to cause imminent downfall
Paving way for the new breed of things to race.

Edited: May 16, 2021

4 comments:

  1. Amit,
    Such a sad transformation as we follow this man ang his thoughts in relation to his life and the building. I believe at some point we all stand at what was once majestic and question our life's worth adn how we'll be remembered. This is beautifully written - thank you for sharing it and I love the backdrop of the picture you're paired with it.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Amy! Your appreciating remarks made me feel very honored! You are one of few people who got the essence of this poem. Thanks a ton for stopping by!

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  2. Hey Amit,

    This is definitely one of your deepest, reflective poems. That's why it took me awhile to interpet it on a deeper level. Reading it several times has made me realize the actual fragility of life and its fleeting quality. We are all aware that life doesn't last, but when you are in the moment of your youth you feel almost invincible and don't reflect on the things that you truly should be grateful for. The last two stanzas of your poem demonstrate beautifully how, during the later stages of your life, that's only when you truly realize that you are mortal. The closer that you come to face death, many aspects of your life are already dying, but moreover we all become dying creatures once we are born. I am still young, so your poem helped me to realize that you won't live forever--not even the legacy that you could leave for the next generations. Regardless of how much impact you have made on society, your legacy is not guaranteed to last or even exist; a person's history only exists when people choose to keep the memory of them alive.

    It's a sad yet touching poem about how we should not take our lives for granted when we are in the prime of our lives, especially because those are the moments in which we can acknowledge that we are still appreciated, and that we are still in the mindset to appreciate ourselves. Please keep up the great work!

    Vivian

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