Yesterday, I was reading and listening to the audiobook ’The Old Man and the Sea’ by Nobel Laureate, Ernest Hemingway. It tells the story of an old fisherman who, despite his age retains a lively spirit and an undaunted outlook, demonstrating human dignity. I came across a heart-touching line : ‘Everything about him was old except his eyes…’. I paused there because the line was so powerful and resonated deeply with me. For the entire day, it kept replaying in my mind. At the end of day, when I pray and, commit myself : ‘Let not the eyes become old’, I get filled with immense joy!
Let Not The Eyes Become Old!
Eyes!
Are they just part of bodies?
Are they required to see dreams, and to hold vision clear ?
If they are not old, how then are they?
Are they young, vibrant, ever wise?
See with wonder, and gaze with cheer
Let innocence remain ever near!
Through every joy, each story told
Let not the eyes become old!
Eyes of students and eyes of teachers
Eyes of friends and eyes of colleagues
Eyes of parents and eyes of children
Let not the eyes become old!
Mahendra Ingale, Pune. January, 2025
