You, chip of the old block!
Do you remember,
The wonder with which you looked at each other?
Placed in his arms,
A few pounds of Homo sapien...
Those brilliant neural pathways
So full of logic and genius
Having those extra volts pass through
An experience like no other...
Forced to decipher
Formulas for fatherhood
Were there any?
Despite himself,
He placed his beating, nay racing heart
Trusting, hesitating not
Into your little palms
To do as you pleased
Squish, hurt, tear, break
Make proud and soar
Only time would tell
Do you remember, the promise,
Of a lifetime
Of love, and having your back?
Could you smell, the fear,
Of failing you?
Opaque, entrenched, yet well hidden
Ah! The joy of
Your grubby little fingers
Around his,
The balm that brought calm.
Being teacher and taught,
Parent and child in turns...
As the days and years unfolded,
One moment at a time,
Watching you grow,
Growing with you.
Your devil's advocate...
Scared, elated, joyful,
Gearing to see
Your dreams bear fruit
Watching you stumbling and swaying
Taking those first steps,
Heart in mouth
Those gurgles of delight
Music to his ears
Pushing you, challenging you
Constantly sharpening that wit and intellect
That you were blessed with
Pulling you back
So you may burst forth
And soar in the brilliant splashes of color
Of his Rainbow
You, chip of the old block!
You still hold the wonder.
For he sowed the seeds,
Of the never ending quest...
A secret revealed to him
By the wisdom of the ancients
Your destinies
That were intertwined
Bringing about change
In the world
One doting father,
One adoring daughter,
At a time...
Background photo courtesy: Shyam Madhavan Sarada
