The Human Seasons – #WRITEPHOTO
I sat bolt upright on the bed and looked at the woman who was sitting by my side. I was startled. Was it really Liz who was seated on the edge of the bed? I had buried her only yesterday! Liz, my wife of twenty years, whom I loved with all my heart. The person without whom I was a lost soul!
Liz and I had been married for a very long time. We had enjoyed every moment of our married life. We were made for each other. And suddenly out of the blue Liz had been diagnosed with blood cancer. She had died within three months of the day the doctors had diagnosed her with the terrible illness.
She had fought valiantly, but the disease had ravaged her, and she had finally succumbed within three months. I had been devastated. Her funeral was over just yesterday and last night I had to take a couple of tablets of anti-depressant medication prescribed by the doctor for falling asleep.
I had finally fallen into a troubled slumber. And lo and behold, I wake up and here she is sitting by my side smiling brightly as always. Finally, she looked me in the eye, smiled lovingly and said, ‘Let us go for a walk darling.’ She took me by my hand, and we walked slowly to the front door.
She opened the door and we stepped out. There were several trees with very few leaves on them and the ground was frozen and hard. Through the trees, we could see that the sky was speckled with a golden hue. Liz pointed to the glorious golden rays of the morning Sun spreading their tentacles through the sky.
‘It is winter, darling, the last of the human seasons when the Sun takes time to rise. Look at those beautiful rays of the Sun spreading their warm glow all over the sky in this cold weather. Pretty soon the Sun will rise. You can see this scene only in winters. In the life of a human being too winter is the last phase, old age. That is what John Keats says in his poem the human seasons,’ she said.
I nodded and smiled at Liz. Liz was an amateur poet and loved soulful philosophical poetry and one of her favourites was ‘The Human Seasons’ by John Keats. She had tried in vain to get me to take an interest in poetry but somehow, I never could pick up the taste for it.
‘Winter is the last of the human seasons. The human seasons begin with the spring, which is the first. This is the time when human beings are in their most vibrant state and life is full of joy and happiness. Spring is when a human being is full of energy. Spring is the equivalent of a human being’s life when he is a child and is the most adventurous and energetic.
This is followed by Summer when a human being lives life to the full and is eager to experience the best and worst. Then comes Autumn when the human being begins to feel tired. He has lived his life and is now ready to shed his duties just like the trees shedding leaves and step into the last phase and wither and die. And then comes the winter when the human being sheds all his duties and rests waiting for the inevitable end.
The reason I am in front of you darling is to let you know that my winter and my time in the world is over. But I am always watching over you from the stars. You should live your life to the full. Promise me you will fight with life.’ Liz said with a beseeching, loving look on her face.
‘I promise,’ I said. Liz smiled benevolently. Suddenly she vaporised into thin air and I jerked awake in my bed with a start. ‘Oh my God. A dream!’ I said to myself and made my way outside our shack. I stepped out and saw the wintry scene Liz had described. The same trees with very few leaves and the rays of the Sun spreading on the sky.
Suddenly I smiled with understanding. Even in death, my Liz was by my side guiding me and I promised myself that for her sake I will fight with life and live it to the full.
Author’s Note: This post has been published in response to #WRITEPHOTO Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt
Beautiful, Jai.