Dengue Took His Life
The carrier mosquitoes are spreading
He was my cousin brother—
Very close to my age.
When he was just ten,
His father decided,
he was wasting time,
hanging out with brats.
He has prospects,
he needs to go to,
a reputed boarding school,
for a better future.
He cried tears,
his mother shed more.
He often fell sick,
she was too meek,
to complain.
He studied there for years—
seven of them.
His father spent money,
Hoping he would shine,
all the emotional pain
and financial burden,
would be worth it.
Later, he did another six years,
this time he was not too far,
he could see more of his
mother and brother.
Strong science education,
pursued with full dedication,
he found a decent job.
Just when everyone thought,
he was set for life,
unforeseen calamity struck.
One cursed summer,
his father died suddenly,
of sepsis and hemorrhage,
leaving him shocked.
The family thought,
let’s get him married.
Maybe happiness will return,
in some form.
But then that Christmas,
he came home,
with a fever.
People thought it's mild,
he would recover.
But it was dengue!
Nobody knew the symptoms.
He died on the way,
to the big hospital.
Since then,
his bereaved mother
has not smiled.
Who would?
His younger brother,
is traumatized—
losing his only sibling.
I miss my brother,
in our last talk,
he was talking,
of a due promotion,
while fate was
preparing for his departure.
Beware of mosquitoes.
They are spreading,
as climate is changing.
Note: Did you know dengue can be so fatal? It’s tragic that as the climate warms, mosquitoes are spreading into new territories. Even if your region has no dengue yet— it’s not unlikely that it could reach you soon.
About the Creator
Seema Patel
Hi, I am Seema. I have been writing on the internet for 15 years. I have contributed to PubMed, Blogger, Medium, LinkedIn, Substack, and Amazon KDP.
I write about nature, health, parenting, creativity, gardening, and psychology.
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Comments (1)
Good job on this sad piece of poetry. Dengue fever if not mistaken is worldwide now isn't it.