On a dull night that had lost its spark,
Cool breeze lingered around,
An innocuous dog curled up forming an arc,
Complaining in a whimpering sound
Surrounded by an air,
Of Pensive sadness,
My thoughts resting on a rocking chair,
Melted into the alluring hopelessness
I should have been a doctor,
Curing the world of disease,
I should have been a traveler,
Going wherever I please
I should have been a musician,
Performing in a rock concert,
My thoughts said with lacking ambition,
To the night that seemed equally hurt
—-
At the horizon a bright fireball appeared,
Painting the sky orange in uniform strokes,
The dog felt the warmth and cheered,
He yawned and stretched and revived his hopes
Birds spread across the infinity,
Like they’d just been released from a cage,
My thoughts assumed serenity,
That perhaps better suited a sage
I design the medical equipment,
That the doctors choose,
I contribute to the transport segment,
And to infrastructure that travelers use
I ferry the musician’s melody
To the yearning ear,
I make things possible,
Because I am an engineer
– Re-Engineering by Akash Gadiya
Note on the poem: The poem reflects the dilemma of an Engineer who wonders if he has chosen the right profession. It has a very definite structure. Of the eight stanzas, the first four describe a gloom and the ensuing four, hope. The four stanzas in each part are again structured uniformly with the first two describing the external elements and the subsequent two echoing the Engineers thoughts.
The sky, the dog and the thoughts are three elements that are seen in stark contrast in both the parts of the poem. In addition, there are three vocations that the Engineer wishes he could have taken up and rather been – a doctor, a traveler or a musician. In the second part, his thoughts substantiate why and how he is doing well by contributing to the same vocations as an Engineer.