“When does a man die” by Nikunj Gupta
What happens when,
A man struggles to strive,
When his final moments are over,
And he has reached the end of his life.
Is that what we call death?
When the soul leaves the body, up for the clouds high?
Or does a man live beyond that,
When does a man die?
What is the meaning of the life he lived,
Of all that he made of his time,
Does all he did attribute to something,
What is the meaning of all he leaves behind?
What about the laughs he spread,
All the tears he cried,
Does death mean the end of those too?
When does a man die?
Does he die when as he is in his grave,
Like a scabbard in a sheath
Lying in his coffin,
Six feet underneath
Or does he live on through others,
Who were with him through his tries,
And stories of his successes too,
When does a man die?
Through the tales of his life,
Doesn’t a man live on?
Even when he isn’t around?
Even after he’s long gone?
Or does it all end
With his physical goodbyes,
Does his life finish with his last blink,
When does a man die?
When a man moves from this world to the afterlife,
Does his legacy also make the transition?
Can’t stories make a man immortal,
As long as someone is willing to listen?
A man lives on through the people,
Who talk and think of him under the night sky.
A man dies when he is forgotten.
That is when a man dies.
About the Author
Nikunj Gupta is a 15-year-old male high school student studying in Bengaluru, India. He has always had an interest in writing poetry since he first discovered it. He prefers writing poetry which has an arching theme of sadness and sorrow. He finds poetry as a medium of communication and comfort between people as well as a coping mechanism and hopes to give his readers the same comfort . He sees poetry as a medium through which he can tell all people around the globe his story and that they are not alone in the way they feel. He has been writing poetry since the age of ten and dreams to one day have his poems published around the world.