An Extra Mile Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

If I can't meet hearts with an extra mile,
The least let me try— walk half a more mile,
Let me meet half-way with inviting smile,
Let me not stand on an isolate isle.

In a journey of many a long mile,
It's half a mile that a long distance dies,
Imagine a quarrel sans compromise,
Life's worth living thanks to this half a mile.

Even Nature knows a wise compromise:
A fierce cyclone going out of hand,
Goes to flatten tall trees too stiff to bend,
Not bamboo stalk that bends, never defies.

Teach thyself the tenets of harmony,
No use demanding cost of compromise,
Its value always exceeds thine surmise,
If not, ye perish in self agony.

I know, I've learnt hard lessons late in life
O by not walking up that extra mile,
Nor in compromise walking half a mile,
And let life walk O on the edge of knife.
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Musings | 04.08.10 |