The Healing Journey

May 19, 2025

Nothing Is Unimportant

By Gitanjali Ghei

Does early death come
as a punishment?
Or
Does it come too late,
for those who are tortured
by incurable pain?
Is death really cruel?
Or
Is it merciful?
Why do we shun death?
Haven’t we known about death?
Doesn’t death follow life?
It sometimes overtakes us,
And sometimes, walks sluggishly
behind.
Death does bring grief,
just as any parting does.
Goodbye itself carries
the spark of death.
When you bid goodbye
to a loved one, doesn’t it
bring changes and adjustments?
Isn’t the silence and
The loneliness disturbing?
Nothing is unimportant,
Not even death.
When I see death
Looming in view
In these lines
I take my refuge:
“When sickness comes and bids us rest awhile in some calm pool, beside life’s too swift stream, why rail at fate, and count ourselves ill used?
‘T’s then one’s soul awakes and weaves dream on dream.”

(Gitanjali Ghei (1961-1977) was a 16-year-old girl who died of cancer and composed beautiful poems about death, compassion and faith in God, which are compiled in “Poems of Gitanjali” published by Oriel Press.)

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