Along the dusty trails
At a forlorn crossing
Sat a water bearer plying his ware
Whence came a thirsty traveler
To quench, readily a bowl did he fare

And ‘ere as he gulped,
the traveler, the draughts
till quenched and satiated
Wiping the moisture from his beard
He verily declared,

‘Many a watering holes
Have I come across in my travels
But ne’er has the water tasted as sweet
nor as refreshing

Blessed be you
Dear water bearer
Not only am I quenched, I’m renewed
There must be some magic
With which you author your draught!'

‘Sire, it’s the heavens
Which bring the rains,
The stream which carries it herein
I merely carry this from the riverbed
What magic might I place therein?’

‘Ah foolish you, to not espy
The spice with which you lace
Your drink, tell me forsooth
When you do serve water, do you not
serve it with love and care?

‘Sire, your words fill me with warmth
Your truth I dare not decry
But pray tell me, if the heavens rained
Months before, foretelling your thirst to rivers
How can the author be me?’

‘There’s some wisdom
In what you say, my man
Water have I e'er before tasted
Yet in this quench special
Can you, your participation deny?’

‘Sire, the winds participated
in taking moisture from the sea,
the gravels of the river bed
lent murmur to the draught
True along with my goatskin, there also was I

But were it not for the Sun,
Your throat wouldn’t be parched,
Were it not for your dreams
You wouldn’t have travailed to travel
In this mystical cosmos

Wherein do we then draw the line?
And declare whether the author was YOU or I?
When the heaven decreed to rain with love
Let us all also go about our day with love
My dharma is to quench, yours is to travel

And perhaps the water
and thirst between them
for this moment's quench, had
Authoured YOU and me?

- Abhi

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Comments (4)

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written by Soumi Basu, 2008-05-27 07:18:26

Hi Avi,
Your poems are beautiful. The conclusion you have drawn is quite thought provoking.

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Thank you
written by Avi Das, 2008-05-26 20:46:05

Narensomu and Partha, thank you both.
Partha the Bard has already said, 'What's in a name', and could I say it any better. I wonder if your query leads to more muse and posts?

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Thank you
written by P. Desikan, 2008-05-26 10:18:30

Thank you, existence,...... and water and thirst,............
Regards. Partha
I thought Avi is probably Avinash. But since he also signs Abhi for short, is he Abhijit?

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written by narensomu, 2008-05-26 06:24:00

And perhaps the water
and thirst between them
for this moment's quench, had
Authoured YOU and me?

Agree with you Avi.
After all,what Sky would be blue but for the observer?
Wonderful thoughts expressed there.
Regards
ns

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