We, the Living

Following is a simple but beautiful poem that my friend Susmit wrote a long time ago. Yeah, he stole the title alright but don't judge the poem by the title! I believe he wrote this poem on a particularly snowy day during his first winter here in America. And for some reason, I am reminded of this poem on a particularly hot day here in Chicago. So here's 'We, the Living' published with permission.

You live in a different world,
Talking to the skies above,
While I, poor blade of grass,
Bury my head in prosaic reality.

But today on this snowy day,
I feel a strange kinship,
When I see you, lofty branch.
Bow your head in the heavy snow.

The wind is harsh, biting and cold,
The snow is heavy, wet, .....and cold,
The sun has forgotten us here,
While I sink to my neck in snow.

But lift your head, O drooping branch,
And look winter in the eye,
For you are stronger than the wind,
And snow's lighter than you think.

There will come a gentle spring,
And warm summer days too,
We will see them, you and I,
And laugh at memories of the snow.

For we are stronger than them all,
Weak and unarmed though we be,
For we have life, and we the living,
Do not give in to the dead.