Running into adversity
Is a universal certainty
It can kindle life
If it is doesn’t throw the mind into strife
Few know how to extract essence
That can turn this place into heaven
There is a course that is taught
In life’s university, everyone is guaranteed a spot
There are many variations
Of the test, meeting all expectations
Some come prepared
Others are deathly scared
There is ample room for failure
But it surely tests one's composure
When faced with an insurmountable obstacle
The successful ones are adaptable
For change is nature’s way
It keeps genes from going astray
Only through adversity the world has come to be
Before man’s time, evolution was on a runaway spree
It’s now the mind’s turn
To evolve and learn
Goaded on by adversity
It stops working, claiming a calamity
Forgetting that adversity is the mother
Of blue skies and sunny weather
If only one knows how to harvest
Light from that darkness
Teeming with bacteria, the bodily atoms
Hold life in a delicate balance
It’s truly a triumph over adversity
Survival in the midst of bacterial diversity
The soul is also surrounded
By thoughts both airy and grounded
With no hands that may be used to wiggle out
One would think it’s survival is in doubt
But life goes on
It’s upto us to live it with abandon
The cloak of adversity gives us wings
And the strength to cut all strings
That hold us back
Life cannot be wielded by a half baked hack
The tool of adversity is paramount
In nature’s arsenal, forcing a dismount
Off a self made perch
From where there’s spread of unwanted scourge
Spreading the flu of misery
Forgetting the reward of spiritual penury
It’s best to embrace adversity
But not before inviting simplicity
A dark cloud cannot permanently cover a blue sky
Adversity has a lot to teach if one keeps a weather eye
Lessons are quickly lost
When a blame game envelops the mind in frost
Thoughts hold their stations, in that frozen conflict
Death of happiness isn’t hard to predict
To embrace adversity or not
A dilemma that puts one on the spot
Every instance is a chance to progress
If there’s conviction that adversity has come to bless
Whether it’s dinosaurs or diamonds
Adversity provides the sole guidance
To perish or sparkle
Nature thrives on a bubble
Dinosaurian habits
Can be overcome by a clever gambit
Adversity provides the pawn
It is we who must make the move and press on
The mind is relentlessly buffed
By adversity’s helpful hand which is easily rebuffed
This is a royal way
Why be led astray?
Royalty does not always connote comfort
It’s a title for those victorious through effort
When proud of one’s throne
Seeds of discontent are surreptitiously sown
Adversity may then come as a surprise
Easy to forget, it’s a helping hand in disguise
Keeping one on track
Until the doors of the inner heaven crack
The world’s an easy place to drown
Ignoring every chance to rise, we double down
Stoking the imaginary fire
Until the shoulders tire
And droop, a visible symbol of defeat
Nobody likes being forced into the backseat
That isn’t the intended design
Facing adversity is a pathway to the divine
Adversity is a loyal consort
Why be afraid to cavort?
It may not be anyone's favorite dance
There’s a treasure to be had if one takes that chance
- N. Seshadri
