Written by Himangshu Saikia on 12 March 2008
This one was written in the workspace one night.. it was half past midnight and I was alone.. actually I wasn’t alone.. Raj was there, but he was sleeping (on three chairs), snoring away, so, technically I was alone. There was perfect silence. And no opponent to play Tekken with 😦 Anyways it was half past 12 and the canteen normally closes at 2AM. I had one and a half hour to kill… hence the poem.
I was born a hard metal
I was a sight to behold
They flattened, twisted and curved me up
Till my skin shined like gold
My head was sharp
My body slim
Maybe they put all their sweat
While carefully all my edges trim
In admiration they saw me rise
I could see my destiny in their eyes
I am a happy little soul
I am glad that I am here
The world seems so beautiful
Forever at all the sights I could stare
I slid down the tunnels
And rolled on the corrugated sheets
Life seemed to move so fast
But now I had company
Of other happy souls like me
They did not talk, nor did they smile
Maybe they were plain emotionless
Or maybe just too shy
But deep inside I somehow knew
They were glad to be here too
I am a happy little soul
I have found others like me
I guess we all share a purpose
To live up to our destiny
Once out of the factory
I travelled far and wide to distant places
Some of us, rusted and broken, named ‘invalid’ and dead
Ended up being discarded
Slowly the truth dawned on me
That the world had place for only the fittest
And I was proud to be amongst the best,
Being a part of the chosen few
Having no color, no race, no religion
Just the faith to do what was due
I am a happy little soul
Grown up, been lucky too
By air, water and land I travelled
To know what I needed to do..
It was long before we stopped
When me and my friends saw light
Sold to strangers who looked down on us
Dropped us down to the ground from a height
We rolled, here and there, amidst thousands of us
It was a congregation of happy souls!
All shapes and sizes these people bought
Picked up, stuffed into barrel holes
To stay tight and firm, we fought
My heart pounded, my mind had a thought
“This is the time (for so long) I sought!”
I am a happy little soul
Finally I found my chance for fame
In a strange smoky barrel
Kalashnikov was its name
As I waited patiently
Time seemed like eternity
Constant sounds of blasts and screams
And trickling blood
Filled the same air I breathe
“The world is not as happy as I thought..”
The dreams shattered, the aura gone!
Suddenly I hoped, not knowing why
Scared for the first time in my life
I wished I had.. never came by
I am a confused little soul
Scared of the truth which hurts
I wish life was faster now
I don’t want this pain to last!
And ‘Boom’ it did sound!
I flew out of the small hole
Making my way through thickets and trees
Breathless, blind and bold
In exact silence I sped through
Stopped for a moment before rushing in
Slipped through blood and to a standstill
Finally realizing my true purpose
The meaning of my existence!
Piercing a human heart, shot from a gun..
I lay dumb and motionless, shocked at what I had done
I am a sad little soul
Lived my life, served my time
All my pride was for nothing
My purpose – to kill a child!
Shameful of my creation, guilt is all I gain
I wish to run away, to be burnt, and never felt again..
Ashish Anand (on March 13, 2008) : Saikia bond’s masterpiece !!!
The last few stanzas of the poem are really great.
Rock on Saikia 🙂
Abhinav Jha (on March 13, 2008) : Now that’s the way a poem is supposed to be written ! Only someone like Saikia Bond can put life into an inanimate object such as a bullet. Reminded me of the movie “Lord of war”, though. Nice one ! I am no expert on poems, but I like the fact that you don’t try to make lines rhyme for the heck of it. Nice work, keep them coming !
Himangshu Saikia (on March 13, 2008) : Thanks guys for your insight. I’d forgot to mention one thing, The opening credits from the movie ‘Lord of War’ was what inspired me to write this one, kudos to you Jha Bond, as always you’re bang on!
Kshitij Maheshwari (on March 13, 2008) : well….. i dnt have ne words
nice autobiography…. intersting comparisions, dont have words to express…. one thing i wud like to say buddhism has really grown upon ya and i m damn happy for ya my friend 🙂
well the thing is bullets do hurt only things is each side has its own reasons to fie cos each side thinks god is on their side but whose side is he really on 😦
and wat makes it much more interesting is how a bullet feels
all in all nice job
Ipchita Bharali (on March 19, 2008) : oh wow.. i’m speechless.. this was truly a great piece of work.. man, how do you keep these masterpieces coming one after the other? great job.. loved it [:)]
Pradyumna Mahanta (on March 21, 2008) : though i m not of literary genius sakia bond this master piece to say the least will make into a great “rock song”.Its amazin!!! apart from your computer skills you got an equivalent literary skill. Sakia keep belting out these master pieces!!!
Maharnab Hazarika (aka Maya Butler) (on January 21, 2012) : Good writing. Really Liked the emphasis of the line- i am a happy little soul and then the change of the feelings by a word. And the situations you pointed were realistic.:)