Poems old and new

Proud of you, Mahesh!


You enlisted young,
proud to be a part of the Indian army.
Wife and kids followed you
to places far and remote.

Despite moments of tension,
stress and ceaseless work
you were ideal in service,
inimitable in discipline, devoted
to duty, to the nation and its people,
ever loyal and upright.

You climbed the mountains
behind which hid the enemy.
You crossed the hurdles of nature,
succeeded in holding the campsite safe,
and secure, warm-hearted to all.

As a veteran, your ceaseless service
to community continued.
You helped the high and the low with equanimity,
and impartiality till the last day of your blessed life.

Your memories are here to stay.
Family, friends and the community
find you still guiding, inspiring in
living a fear-free, friendly and a pleasantly
broad-minded life.

We bid you farewell, dear Mahesh!
with tears in our eyes and a sense
of still being with your splendid self.


Lines:27
Written for "Honoring Our Veterans" January, 2025.
Host: Monty