Fountain of Youth: A Poem by Srividya Subramanian

He, old, ragged, all of eighty,
Tired of life’s rugged journey
Looked for a path wreathed in silence
To pass his last years in tranquil penance.

How I wish there was a young someone!
To complete all that I have left undone
To fill exotic colors in my beautiful life art,
To extend unconditional love to those close to my heart.

Tears mixed with blood flowed from his broken self
Left him vanquished, deprived like words could not tell.
Suddenly, when he thought he had to face that moment of truth
Lo! It stood before him, A Fountain of Youth.

Overcome with exuberance, he quenched his thirsting heart
And Lo! There he stood as a handsome youth, ready to play his part.
Now, he laughed, loved, and filled his cup to the brim
Forgot his past life, things undone and the times grim.

Time flew from his grasp like grains of sand
The wings of youth fell, like an old man did he land
He cried for his misuse of the Fountain of Youth
Unwillingly but finally got ready to face the moment of Truth!