Final call

Final Call

by Priyanka Kamath

It so happened—I forgot my exam date,

A small mistake that turned into fate.

I didn’t check my hall ticket twice,

Just trusted the mark I made on my calendar in haste.

Later I heard the paper was easy that day,

And guilt with self-blame came my way.

Though I had scored well in the other part,

Being marked absent broke my heart.

That morning, I thought it was a holiday,

I revised my notes and let time slip away.

Then the “what ifs” kept running in my head,

I couldn’t eat or sleep in bed.

I kept asking—how could I miss?

It felt like my last chance had vanished in mist.

But time moved on, I cleared in the next,

And realized it wasn’t as bad as I had guessed.

What once felt like the worst phase of life,

Now seems not worth the endless strife.

The lesson I learnt was clear enough—

Always double-check, never trust once.

And when I lost my parents, my biggest pain,

I knew no exam loss could weigh the same.

So if loved ones leave without a sign at all,

Why worry so much for a missed final call?