Vanish Poet I

“Dan, there’s someone to meet you”,

Said a female voice through the trapdoor 
And meeting my eyes, quickly removed 

Her eyes which showed nothing but fear.

I sighed as I always do at times like this,

When people look at me with fear and hatred.

But still, my heart pounded loudly, wondering

Who could it be, wanting to meet me.

As usual, ‘twas one of those usual visits

One brave man’s attempt to mend my ways
As if ‘twas all in my hands...

But this man said, “think of what you’ve done!”

And left, without another word, leaving me alone

To travel back down memory lane- one place I hate to go.

It happened thus, in those good old days when I was young and bright.

My poems were good and recognised all over the world.

And brought about great changes in life-style and society.

People honoured me, my writings, poems and called me a gem

For I’ve been writing all along

‘Bout them and their own lives.

And also did my poem bring

Light to their dull, dark lives.

Things went on well and so did time.

‘Twas a cold and rainy night

I sat in my study, with my lamp lit

Its flame flickering in the wind.

I wrote about the happiness of my dear countrymen

And lay on my bed, soon asleep.

The next morning, things happened thus-

The rain had caused havoc

Their crops were wretched with flood too big

And cattle were dead.

Their happiness had vanished off

Now they were all doomed.

It went on thus, as months went by

They knew it was all me

I was the one accused of vanishing their happiness.

I stopped writing for a while and all was back and well.

But when I wrote again at all, the result was the same

My stomach churns and head spins, thinking of what I’ve done!

Disaster, misery and darkness followed suit

The people I wrote about.

Those innocent people were all doomed because of me.

They started moving away from me, I was left alone

But the curse in my writing would never leave me alone.

“No!”, I shouted out, I can’t bear it any longer

Look at what I’ve done to those who once called me a gem

But as for now, I have become their being of misery

I can’t bear this anymore, I wish I were dead

My stomach does churn, I feel too sick

To proceed through memory lane

To think of how a gem had brought misery and doomed them.

I went back to my study, it had started raining again.

The lightening and the wind was all that I could see again.

I took my pen and sat again, after a long time.

I glanced skywards, murmured “forgive me” and sat down to write

This time I wrote all of my life, this would me my last

I signed it with my name and lay on my bed.

‘Twas raining heavily with thunder and lightening

And with a strong bolt of lightening

I too was gone for good...