by M.Mohankumar
Mohankumar pens a poem about a long and difficult journey of exploration undertaken by a team of explorers, their joy of discovery at the end of it, and how this would provide the impetus for such worthwhile activities in the future.
Come, my friends; let us now celebrate,
now that we have done what we set out
to do and are happily rid of doubts.
It has been a long and difficult journey.
We were on untrodden ground. Undaunted,
we went ahead. Nothing could deter us:
neither lies nor dangers nor prophets of doom.
Today those prophets of doom stand silenced.
True, we lost a couple of men on the way.
Lacking nerve, or faith, they lagged behind
and drifted away. We are sorry for them.
We may not be long remembered. So what?
We were not after fugitive fame. What matters
is what we did. We ventured on, following
knowledge like our epic hero. We explored
a dark area and discovered what it held.
It may not be a giant leap for mankind;
but it is a clear step forward, precursor
no doubt to greater things to come.
Soon we will go our separate ways.
I wish you bon voyage. We do not know
what lies ahead. But one thing is certain:
we will not rest or rust unburnished.
Some work of noble note may yet be done.
Mohankumar has published eight volumes of poetry in English, his latest collection being “Gleanings” which released in 2016. His poems have appeared in almost all reputed literary magazines in print in India. His first collection of short stories in English, ‘The Turning Point and Other Stories’ has been published by Authorspress, Delhi. Mohankumar retired as Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala.
