Tendulkar retires

Even Gods have to bow to time,

and acknowledge that theirs is past.

In the crowded Indian pantheon,

this one's worship is bound to last.

Perhaps the greatest of all time,

he conquered all there was to win;

He scaled cricket's most lofty heights,

which few can aspire to, or dream.

All podiums have to be vacated,

the old stepping aside for new.

There comes time for every champion,

to walk away from what he's built.

Some do it fast, some do it late,

Some, they hang on, fight tooth and nail.

The ones who do it with most grace

have other things in life to chase.

For whatever height you fought and won,

is but a milestone on the way.

Surely, there're other things that beckon,

what is it that impels you to stay?

There comes a time when things are done,

for newer dreams to take their hold.

Don't hold on too long to older ones,

For once you've reached, it is time to go.

Dinesh Gopalan

11 October, 2013