HEMLOC
K. M. Kale
The cup of sorrow
Has nectar as its contents
The seers know full well
The cup and its contents
It was lord Buddha
Who drank it to the full
Came to enlightenment
And a state blissful
Kunti was indeed a seer
Who asked of Lord Krishna
The blessing of sorrow
To cross over the sea of “trishna”
So don’t shun sorrow
Drink it to the very dregs
Be grateful to the cup-bearer
Who brings it in countless pegs.
We’re all Socrateses
In a way, I think
For we’ve been given
A cup of hemlock to drink
The only difference being
Socrates drank it smiling
Whereas we drink it
Grudging and grumbling