Nothing

The story started
In blank verse
With nothing
But an empty sheet
And an empty heart
That was the beginning
And that was
What was awaiting
The plot thickened
And the story grew
Branching out
Creating itself
As time went by
The page filled up
And the rhythm took over
It was all
Falling into place
Seasons came
And seasons went
Romance ensued
Unrequited love
Was pursued
Things changed
And colours mingled
The story was now
Reaching its peak
But what happened
All along
Puzzled the writer
Who had already lost control
The story was living itself
And he had become
A part of it
He was the rhythm
In lieu of the rhyme
He realised that
Too late
And the story grew
And verses continued
But in the end
Nothing begets nothing
And he remembered
That he had started
With an empty page
And an empty heart
What had happened
Was that the empty page
Was filled with the story
Of the empty heart
The heart remained empty
And everything
Was nothing
And he was actually
Back where he had started
With nothing
But an(other) empty sheet
And an empty heart




July, 2000





Arjun Purkayastha's Questions:


1. What are the metaphors that are most apparent in this poem?


2. I feel as if there is something missing in this poem. In the middle it
just suddenly jumps from one place to the other. Is there anything that you
can think of to add in?


3. What feeling do the poem convey to you?


4. Alternatively, is the poem too long?
















The Albany Poetry Workshop