The Restless Mind

(An English version of मन व्यथित है)
My mind is weary of waking early in the morning,

And confused about what to have for breakfast.

I am irritated getting my child ready

And sending him off to school,

Disturbed by the traffic jams on the way to the office,

And even by the cars colliding with one another.

I am bewildered, troubled by the work at the office,

And caught in a dilemma by my boss—

By his wisdom, and sometimes by his lack of it.

I am irritated by my colleague’s work,

By the piles of files lying on my desk,

And even by the scolding of the senior boss.

My heart is troubled by my father’s needless suffering,

And I am caught in a dilemma by the ways of my mother and my wife.

I am irritated by my children’s mischief,

By their indifference toward their future,

And by the ever-growing expenses of the household.

I wished for a long vacation—

To embrace my children,

To laugh and talk with my wife,

To share a few words about love and our home,

To ease my father’s worries,

And to serve my mother.

Far away from the office, the work, the colleagues and the boss,

Far from pollution,

Beneath the blue sky,

With my family by my side.

God heard my wish and smiled,

And said, “So be it.”

And then the pandemic of Corona spread across the world.

The whole world came to a standstill,

The pollution disappeared beneath the clear blue sky.

No office to go to,

No collisions on the road,

No traffic jams to endure.

No scolding from the boss,

No irritation with colleagues,

No piles of files waiting on the desk.

And yet…

The circle of sorrow remained just the same.

The mind is still restless—

Some of it spoken,

And some of it left unspoken.