Afterlife Lessons of a Corporate Soul

Sometime, someday, when I’m up there

Lounging without a care on a fluffy cloud
Blowing away lazy rings of mist
as I float in the bliss of heaven…
I shall gaze down fondly at my people
to see a few weeping for me
Some close ones pining for me
reminiscing memories of me.
 A handful more who sense my loss
Who would I expect to see?
 Let me guess…
…pulling out my divine binoculars to look for those
whom I spent the maximal earth time with
The multinational company
I rendered my sweat to, for precious long earth years
The boss who’s word was greater than the lord’s
The colleagues who I thought were friends
 subordinates who respected me till my expiry period.
Were they the ones?
And, what would I see…?
….conveniently forgotten
I was just a name in their file.
I see someone new
Hired in my place
Doing my job, maybe better than me
He seemed to have won them over
For, he too was doling out his sweat
In lieu of his passions
Spending festivals at his office desk
to keep the boss’s word
Sharing work gossips over drinks
with those colleagues
who backbit to get ahead of you.
 Did I make the most
of those shortly timed earth years
Shouldn’t I have spent
fun filled festivals
with my old parents who shaped my life
happy birthdays
with siblings who colored my childhood with vibrant memories
languorous holidays
with the one who taught me to love differently
leisurely evenings
with friends who shared with me, my ups and downs
and every single day
with my child who gave me a new lease of life?
The accolades were long forgotten
 Like those degrees and certificates that now collect dust.
Realize I will a tad too late, that all I carried up there was
 the little wealth of  joy, sorrow, warmth and compassion
which I had shared only with my people.
And not with my emotionless office desk.