[A transliteration of my Bengali poem একগুচ্ছ প্রশ্ন ; উত্তর: শূণ্য written on the passing away of my dear friend Ziauddin Faruque]
In these days of traffic jams
You travelled so fast
That in a wink of an eye
You have gone beyond
the encircled life of pain and pangs
You’re charmed in never ending joy
As you welcome the infinite truth.
And now I feel like asking
Why wasn’t your supersonic journey
Interrupted by traffic signals
Why weren’t you slowed down
By the slow moving traffic !
Why were you in so much of rush
That you crossed the boundary
Of this known world
I haven’t ever seen such a mad rush
To get into proximity with the Creator
Know we indeed , we too will travel
To that infinite world of eternal truth
We would also bathe in the light
Which has lightened you , and
You now proudly walk in that
Promised garden of Eden.
So what makes you so proud of yourself
You have touched the unworldly truth
And hence have become the World Champion.
Why did you go across the barrier
Leaving us all behind .
Why did you sail your empty boat
Across the wide sea of life .
Hence we who live in this earth
We are delved deep into the blackened sorrow.
June 14 , 2017, Maryland
Copyright@Anis Ahmed