Death is for Mortals
Monoku Poem Tribute | For Ben and Dennett
Without death life is incomplete and so we embrace this truth in love
No words can truly express the magnitude of pain and emotions we feel when we lose a loved one, we can only try to put words to our grief.
Though I have never met Ben and Dennett, reading about her journey of loss makes me feel so many things at once and we can all relate to the feelings of hurt, anger, shock, confusion, pain, remembrance and so much more that we have to deal with when someone we love is gone.
Where do they go and how are we now supposed to be okay without them? Is it fair to go through endless paperwork and legal hassles like Dennett had to go through while trying to organise a cremation? When is the right moment to break down, cry or put on a brave face?
I remember when I lost someone I loved, I just couldn’t accept it for years. I was away and couldn't deal with the death as I never got to say my goodbye. I never thought I will be able to make my peace with it. It was so unfair and I was just unable to process it properly.
Does it get better with time? I don’t know. Maybe we just learn to live with it.
In the Mahabharata during the crucial Yaksha Prashna before the Pandavas were restored to life, a Yaksha asks the King Yudhistira one final question:
What is life’s biggest irony?*
“It is the desire to live eternally. Every day, we encounter people dying but we always think that death will never come to us!”, said the King.
The subtle irony of life is that we need to die, we have to die and we must die for life to make sense and give meaning to existence. Only in death the cycle of life is completed.
After death we can become immortal or can attain mokshya or the freedom from the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This is the final goal of the soul where it can reach its highest self.
The same is for love. In its purest form, love is immortal.
In death, people only leave their bodies. I believe we all are more than just our bodies.
This is a humble tribute to celebrate the love of Weeds and Wildflowers, Ben and Dennett.
Thank you for reading.
