This week’s Dungeon Prompts challenge is Until Our Last Breath. What would I imagine thinking about as I take my final breaths. This is not something I tend to write about, and whatever did form in my mind made me cry and was too personal to share. If you notice with my poetry, I don’t or very rarely use obvious references to my personal life. So, I had been holding on to this poem debating whether to share it or not.
Then, these words came to my mind. Possibly the closest thing I could call my life mantra, I have oft-repeated these words to my daughters. In fact, my younger daughter was late in talking, but when she finally could talk (more about her in my first poem The Listener), she spoke this verse more fluently than any nursery rhyme, song or prayer:
Khudi ko kar buland itna
Ke har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche
Bataa teri raza kya hai
Elevate yourself to such an extent that even God, before issuing every decree of destiny, should ask you: Tell me, what is your desire?
~ Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal
I realise that in sharing this poem I have been courageous and made a personal achievement to elevate myself towards my own destiny. So here is my response to Until Our Last Breath
Alone, Alone I Will Go
Alone, alone I will go
Evaporated with my final breath
Surrounded by regrets
And gratitude
Alone, alone I will go
It is me and my deeds
And their fruits
Whether bitter or sweet
Alone, alone I will go
Leaving behind my achievement
An unexpected inner strength
For you to inherit
Alone, alone I will go
Hoping you will remember me
With celebration, my beloved
Music and words
Alone, alone I will go
But not too far
I will watch over
And fiercely guard you
Alone, alone I will go
I did my best
Please forgive me
I was a mere human
Alone, alone …
This I dedicate to my two special daughters and to our struggle, which we face with persistence. I am grateful to my family, friends and even strangers who have made our lives even more special.
SONYA KASSAM 
This poem indeed is exquisitely deep and beautiful. It brought tears to me too. You are blessed with a gift from the Almighty. We are all privileged to read such profound thoughts about the play of life and death. God Bless you and your talented and special daughters…
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This is the second time, Sonya… the second time that your words have evoked tears from my heart. Your thoughts pierce deep into my soul and spontaneously the prayer just comes out… May He never let you nor your daughters alone… May He infuse you at all times like the fragrance in the jasmine… May His Light envelop you and keep you all safe… May His bulandi be your foundation so that when you are asked about your raza… your answer, forever is, tunhi tun, tun hi tun… May His blessings forever be on you and your daughters… Thanks for giving so much…
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I am ever so grateful for your prayers…the melodious way you entreat I know for sure He will find it very difficult to refuse you.
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And I am grateful that in this day and age there are still people like you in the world… I believe that Allah was happy with me and wished to bless me the day I stumbled upon your poetry… :-) Thank you for giving of yourself…
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I think I don’t know what to say here….
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Ahh!! I love the poem by Alama Iqbal.. It defines the way I want to live so completely.. :) :)
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Wow…. this is so beautiful and powerful. Thanks so much for sharing it.
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Thank you for your wonderful comments Karuna.
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A lovely poem of humility…in the end, we will be alone ….your poem shows you are at peace with that…blessings
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Thank you so much. Need all the blessings I can get and double-fold blessings for the sender :)
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Oh wow. This is very intimate and emotional. I can appreciate how difficult this must have been for you to allow yourself to ponder on this and then bring it out of yourself to be exposed.
It makes me think of two things. “From dust we were made, to dust we’ll return” and “we come into this world with nothing, and we leave it with nothing”.
:-)
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Thank you for your understanding as well as your beautiful thoughts. So far I don’t have regrets about sharing my innermost feelings :-)
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Oh Beautiful. I love it. It captures the reality of trying to do the best we can for our family but in the end we do indeed leave alone. Thank you for sharing it.
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Thanks Sreejit. This prompt was very touching. Glad I shared it…finally :-)
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Sonya, Beautiful, alone we come and alone we shall go, leaving this body and the ego it fosters and into our true nature, to become one with God…Mitti me miljaenge, Bhoolo na!
We aspire to the sufi verse of Khudi ko Kar Bulund itna, this is one thing I personally strive to attain and you have made my day reminding me of my purpose.
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Wow Ayaz, I love the song Mitti so much! Don’t say you are a Junooni as well!
Thanks so much for your thoughts, I’m pleased to hear that Khudi made your day :-)
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Very touching and profound. May God continue to bless you and your family.
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Oh thanks Sean, really really appreciate your good wishes.
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Dear Sonya,
This is nothing less than lovely, and it is everything that is beautiful.
I admire your courage in composing and sharing this. We would be poorer had you not shared this with us.
Even if you had not mentioned the part about Allama Iqbal (who you know I greatly admire), this beautiful and powerful is one of your greatest creations (according to me).
So much embedded in this poem speaks to me.
Thank you so much for this.
All good wishes,
robert
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Thank you for your beautiful comments Robert. I’m happy to hear you liked the poem, which came straight from the heart.
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It’s an exquisite poem,so nice of you to post it, Sonya.
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Thanks for those wonderful words Ranu
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