When God chose to patent life

I woke up with a jerk

gasping for breath.

Panting and suffocating,

for I felt no air.

My heart went berserk

pumping like crazy,

needing more oxygen

but not getting any.

My bones felt weak,

yet I rushed out of bed.

Too heavy for my feet,

I fell with a thud.

I crawled out painfully

into the open balcony,

and raised myself somehow

to just breathe normally.

To my utter shock,

it was not just me

who faced this fate,

but the whole humanity.

Men and women writhed in pain

On pavement, road and portico.

Crawling, agape and smothering -

we were being wiped out and let go.  

Suddenly the skies thundered

and soon it rained.

I opened my mouth

and stretched my hand.

Again to my consternation

water didn’t wet my hand

nor quenched my thirst;

events I failed to comprehend.

I saw birds chirping merrily

while dogs pranced around.

I wondered what pandemic

could be just human bound.

I felt my senses slowing

and the brain getting numb,

as to the lack of air

I slowly started to succumb.

Even as death stared at me

and the heart faced seizure,

a faint prayer came through

as I looked at the fading azure.

“God, show me my fault

and tell me where I erred.

To be punished this way

What have I really caused?”

A voice came from nowhere -

baritone, calm and assertive.

It jarred my senses back

and kept me attentive.

“I made you free and let you be,

but you have forgotten me.

I watched your game in silence

waiting for you to remember me.”

“In separation you believed for eons,

thus seeds of vices you have sown,

ownership framework you created

that is yours and this is my own.”

“My creations you copyrighted,

then made the haves and have-nots.

Formed barriers to divine flow

causing rampant life clots.”

“Today I choose to play your game,

to patent life and make my name.

Follow ‘your’ rules to grow my fame

then beat you at it and deepen your shame.”

“So now pay the price for your life,

for all the good things that came free:

for your body, mind and soul,

for air, water, food and tree.”

I protested, “Oh God, how could you

treat this way your very own children.”

The voice responded, “I mirror now

your treatment of your own brethren.”

“I’ll give you what you want,

but let me just breathe.

Take everything from me

but let me just live.”

“Arrogant it is to think that you can

give me something I need.

For I need nothing but your love for all,

in thought, word and deed.”

“You think in this vast universe

You can own a thing?

When in this boundless existence

you are a speck of nothing.”

“See the spirit before you see the person,”

said lovingly that voice,

“See all, not as separate, but one,

believe in their virtue before vice.”

With repentant eyes, I begged for mercy,

apologized for letting fear catch my fancy.

Hoping to get life with divine clemency,

I promised to keep loving with consistency.

I woke up again with a start,

breathing normally as I usually would.

I thanked providence for my life

and breathed as deeply as I could.

I ran to the balcony to check

if this was just a dream.

I saw people hugging each other

as love filled life to the brim.  

I closed my eyes in gratitude

as birds chirped merrily around me.

Life finally found its rightful place 

when man let love flow and just be.