I would gladly sacrifice all my certitude
At the hazy altar of bewilderment
To replace assuredness, stillness
With turbulence and amazement

For what is it not to know
What beckons you across the border
What is it that pulls the romantics
What is it that creates this fervour

Ask the ones who have scaled the peaks
Or dived to the bottom of the ocean
Ask the ones who have toiled and failed
To try once more, again and yet again

Ask the mighty Ganges and she will tell you
Which part is full of merriment and fun
High up in the hills with crevasses and rapids
Or in the plains with indolence and stagnation

Ask your own genes and they will tell you
How chance happenings have resulted in evolution
How without the mystery of the unknown
We may have remained less than human

Subir Chakraborty / 21st July 2019