By Sohitha A
They called me Joy once.
I ran, I flew,
I laughed and cried,
I lived and learnt and grew,
I saw how things added up.
How some actions healed
While others hurt,
How some motions were rewarded
And others frowned upon,
How some gestures made others dance,
But some words sent them spiralling.
I could hack my world,
Make me laugh or cry on command,
I could care or not,
I could indulge as I wished.
And slowly, gently,
The pattern became clearer.
Life was indeed one big math puzzle
And I went looking for the key to hack it.
Did I really need it?
Or was I just bored?
Who knows..
So I went seeking the pond of will.
There stood a large paddle.
I sat at the wheel, worked round after round,
I slowly started lifting the key.
With each round, the key became denser,
But my resolve won as I pulled even harder.
I yearned to solve life quickly.
If there was a cryptic pattern,
I was going to unlock it.
Round went the wheel, and with each grunt,
I felt the key coming even higher up.
Even as my life force drained out,
I kept pushing to get that one key.
I heard a small splash,
Was it finally here?
I peered down and heaved a sigh,
The key was almost within my reach!
But deep below that crystal clear pond,
I also saw an outline of a soul.
With each of my thrust, it went one bit lower,
But not low enough to be obscure.
Because it was the one I knew best
It was me, the one they called Joy.
And today I paddle and paddle,
I am not stopping now.
I am going the get that key
Even if I have to bury Joy.