The paper once I valued most

Dr Ranbir Laishram
Toiled day and night ,
Through years together
To get a piece of paper,
A paper with my name on it.
How happy I was
With the paper in my hand,
The pride of my family,my natives,
My degree certificate.
A ticket to my dream.

With many more years,
Comes many more papers,
A life, a career and a dream,
An earning to comfort my family.
Relentlessly served as a care provider,
Ignoring myself and my loved ones,
In the service of humanity and the diseased.

With the time,
Climbed up the ladder of life
With hope and pride in my eyes.
I ventured forward
To the place of my  dream,
With others’ eyes on me
Watchful of my next move.

Reaching the very place ,
Once thought my pinnacle ,
Suddenly, a vast emptiness engulfed me
In the endless realm of darkness.
I started questioning
my own life, the realities
For l have just lived a mere life
The so called "Success story".

I wonder - Was it worth all the efforts and sacrifices ,
Toiled years to earn a degree
A position, a living.
Ultimately what we become !
A human Robot !
Caught in the web with
No rest, no peace of mind,
No time for my own...
My loved ones felt neglected.

Recalling my life, I feel dispirited ,
For the papers with my name
Prove to be mere papers
Just to enable me to live a life,
In this illusion called 'Time'.
The same life that everybody lives
The poor and the wealthy live.
A shelter,two square meals a day
Peace of mind and a sound sleep,
That  is all we as humans need,
Ultimately, it is only in one's mind,
How one lives his life
That makes the difference
And not in having wealth and fame.