A profound exploration of reality and the path to enlightenment awaits in Harinder’s poem, exclusively for Different Truths.

Here today, gone tomorrow...
The world is an illusion,
The Tethys became the Himalayas –
Even the topography is confusing.
Mountains have transformed into seas,
Arid deserts have swallowed swamps of grasslands and trees,
Everything is transient; nothing is permanent.
The face of the Universe is changing every moment,
We feel stationary, though everything is in rotation,
The sun, the earth, and the moon are in constant motion.
The director, sitting in heaven, is playing a movie on the screen,
And he has very cleverly put us in a ‘Time Machine’,
We live in the past, present and future
And then pass into oblivion...
This is a journey in a tunnel without any destination,
There is light at the tunnel's end –
A light that can only be seen but no one can comprehend,
We are all knowledge seekers trying to reach the light…
And to reach it first, there is a constant fight,
Between the scientists, scholars, poets, and sages.
All have been struggling for ages,
To reach the light and find the ultimate truth,
All have spent time, money, effort, and their youth,
Only enlightened souls have walked,
Beyond and the rest of us are confused in this commotion
It is because we look outside and avoid self-exploration.
A search within can only bring about the realisation,
Those temporary surroundings cannot be ‘real’,
This world is an illusion!
The day we realise the truth,
We will be free from all fears and frights,
The dark tunnel will vanish, and
Lead us to the eternal light!

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Harinder Cheema

Harinder Cheema is a renowned poetess and an internationally published author. Her novel, ‘The Temple Stop’ received ‘The Best Book of the Year Award 2020’ by Aghaaz, Author in You. She is the co-author of 17 poetry anthologies. Her short stories have been published in the coffee table books. Her articles have been published in various international magazines, and she has also received many prestigious honours and awards in the field of literature.