Tribute to Abdul Kalam

He moved among the highest of men,

Those from the slums called him their friend.

He scaled the pinnacles of science,

But was happiest teaching school children.

A fisherman and a Muslim,

All castes and creeds called him their own.

Left wing, right wing, or communist,

Of detractors, he had none.

The crown for highest achievement,

Just a laurel wreath, no adornment;

He walked tall among fellow men,

But with them, and lost among them.

“Offer your work as sacrifice,

The rewards are irrelevant.”

This is what Krishna must have meant,

When he told Parth to rise up and fight.

Born in a poor village hamlet,

He rose to the heights of fame.

They were kings who carried his casket,

Upholding, above all, his name.