by Asha Sampath
Asha’s poem highlights known and unknown secrets. While it reveals an open secret of yore that we are parts of a whole, it also speaks of the struggle of a secret, comparing it to a larva in a cocoon.
What secret does my mind hold?
I cannot tell you
For if I did, it would be a secret no more.
But I can tease you, even entice you
Drop hints and pose riddles
Feeding your fervent hope
That my secret be revealed.
My secret is not mine alone;
It is one of many a soul.
They say we are part of a whole
Hence, parts like me
We keep the same secret, you see.
Known or unknown the secret might be
Yet it lives as sure as you and me.
The larva struggles to emerge as the fly
Desires die in the cocoon of life.
Now and then a secret sees the light
Losing its identity in plain sight.
But most, like mine, remain locked away
In the darkest depths of the mind –
A dull reminder of a past best forgotten
Or a wish yet to be in the future begotten.
Who does not keep a secret?
That everyone does, is an open secret!
I shall tell you mine
Will you let me in on yours?
But, if we did, they would be secrets no more.
The cocoon is too strong, the larva’s struggle futile.
Its protection then a condemned cell
Carried all the way to heaven or hell.
Asha Sampath is a poet, writer and storyteller as and when the particular muse settles upon her. She enjoys gardening, reading and meeting friends. Married to an IAF officer, she has seen many parts of India experiencing the country’s rich variety. She lives in Chennai now.
