MODERN PRINCES

POEM
Once upon a time
a prince abdicated his
throne
walked out of the
palace in the thick of
night
while everyone including
his wife and child were
immersed in sleep by
his side
rode on his horse’s
back
covered long distances
witnessed with a heavy heart the plight of
beggars, diseased men, orphans, starving thousands
staring in the faces
of mankind.
Repented he for once
leading a luxurious
life in the palace
out of touch with
the reality.
He shed his Prince’s
attire
downed the robe of a saint
and unable to find out the
reasons for mind-boggling
sufferings
and in search of finding
out the ultimate truth behind the enigma
called life,
undertook a penance under
the shade of a
peepal tree
and after years of penance
finally Enlightenment dawned
on him
the truth of life, dawned
on him.
Yes, it was once upon a
time.
Today no such Prince, no
such abdication, no such
wanderings, no such heartburns
no such penance, no such
Enlightenment
the only enlightenment
being the unending quest
for pomp and pageantry throughout.