NAWANG,
by Sheela Jaywant
I
envy you the passion
With
which you did the task, that work.
The
compassion
You
felt when an injured mate fell. No shirk-
Ing,
no fear, hesitation, nor fault.
You
sensed danger, ordered cover, but didn’t halt.
You
must have been ecstatic, in the knowledge
That you had in you that latent, potent courage
That none but you knew of till that moment.
It was then or never. It was sufficient
For
you to have discovered you had in you
What
out of many millions but a few
Have:
Guts.
No
buts,
Duty
had to be done and you did it,
The
cost was irrelevant.
You know, wherever you are,
That most live for years together without living at all
And for you, life came crowding into one precious hour.
One speeding bullet made you fall.
And
raised in many hearts respect, pride,
Some
showed it openly, some did hide
The
fact that they, like me,
Also
felt a sense of envy
For
what I (or they) haven’t/couldn’t have done
For
self, for the country, for anyone.
