To leap

He stood at the precipice,
With unblinking vacant eyes,
The water shimmering far below,
His face had the eerie calmness
Of having weathered a storm.

"Don't jump", Startled, he looked at me,
And for a moment those eyes,
Had a strange wonder.
Then vacant again and the lips firm,
"You don't understand", said he   

"Please, talk to me", I implored
He opened his mouth with soundless words.
"Just pause…Nothing is ever lost.
It will surely pass.
Just come back to this side, and we'll talk"     

He gave a sudden smile that lit up his eyes
"Thank you" he said as he extended his hand,
And asked if I knew the story of Pandora's box
"Yes", I said with relief, his hand in mine
Tugging at him to climb back,
He looked me straight in the eye and said,
"But, what if there's no hope in the end…?"
And in the blink of an eternal moment,
He let go and leaped
-       


(Based on the real final moments of someone who jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, mentioned at a TED conference)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I learnt @ Singapura....

On a short break to India recently, I was doing something that I always thought I wouldn’t - compare Mumbai and Singapore. Though I in no way am belittling Mumbai, yet constant comparison, even when not aloud, is almost ingrained in the human psyche. Yet the fact that I compared, led me to think what all had changed in me post life in Singapore. I had taken up a job in Singapore on instinct- I just knew that I must work there for a while. Most people advised me to come back to India, especially Mumbai- yet I knew at that point of time that would have been disastrous. Now after 7 months of working in Singapore and 1.2 years of being in there, I assess myself on the things that have changed in me, or that I have learnt. Some are surprising, some expected.  Taste in Beverages: I always consider myself to be an absolutely non-fussy and chilled out person as far as food is concerned. So a strong preference in beverages is a shocking revelation to me. Maybe it is a year’s drink from ve...
Read more

A Sense of Direction....

“I need help” I said over the phone. “Oh what happened, tell me”, said my friend, the concern very apparent in his voice. Encouraged, I replied, “Well, I came to the supermarket Mohideen to buy Sugar, but they only have it in large packs. But it seems it will be available in the other supermarket nearby, Al Madina” “Hmm, yeah it will be available there”, replied my friend clearly puzzled as to what help I needed. “Er.. can you   tell me exactly how to go to Al Madina from Mohideen?” I said I was greeted by a volley of almost indecent laughter! Well, I couldn’t blame him. Both the places were about 4 mins from my hostel. I knew to go to both places individually, but just couldn’t figure out the way to go from one to the other! The place is China Cluster, in International City in Dubai. This is where I spent 4.5 months of my GMBA at SP Jain Center of Management. That this incident occurred almost after 3 months into the course didn’t help. My sense of direction has always been a sou...
Read more

Of all things lost...

When I was a small girl, Joy made my heart unfurl, When dad came home early, Or mom called me a fairy, With a sparkling eye I beheld every second, The outside world was yet to beckon… I've seen now the ways of the world, Fought every battle life hurled,  Yet even as I hope for something unfeigned,  A sense of awe every time is ripped, And a scar is deeply inked… Till all that will remain is a cynical armour, Of the wide eyed girl full of wonder. With experiences that burden my shoulder, Meaninglessly I drift and ponder, On love and friends, that are gone, On hopes and dreams bygone, But of all things that I've lost, I miss my Innocence the most... I miss my Innocence the most.. .
Read more