To you,Mother...

You kept me in you for months together
And carried me around like I was a feather
You controlled all senses of taste
So I could eat from your plate
With passing months I got heavier
But to you, hardly did it matter
You had a lot of tasks at hand
And I added a list to the band

Then it was time for me to leave
Oh Mom! Did I ever give you a reprieve?
I guess not... I created so much trouble
That thinking about it makes my body tremble

You decided to let me out
To live in the world you had built
And placed in it a bright sun
So I could get out and have some fun

Fun, sure did I have
Enough to last till the day I reach my grave
With all your time and energy
You saw to it that I was happy

And then it was time for school
You put me into new clothes
A tie, a belt and a set of shoes
Fully dressed, I felt so cool...

I had a new world to see
One that called me a genius
But Mom! They don’t know the painful hours
You put in to educate me...

You taught me the letters
And also the numbers
You did not leave even the animals alone
To me, the names of many were known...

I grew faster every new day
With my childish innocence fading away
But you always held your sway
To make sure I went the right way

Mom, I am now a tall young man
Working on an ambitious plan
I am still reluctant to leave your legacy
That created, built and groomed me...

I don’t really know what to speak
You gave me what I did seek
Maybe today I am taller and stronger than you,
But what you did, I cannot do...

Mom, I went to the park yesterday
Just a detour from my usual way
I had a few bread crumbs
To feed the stray dogs

Did I tell you that one of them
Had become a member of your species?
Yes, it was pregnant for a while
And gave birth to a litter of puppies...

Let me tell you what happened
There in the park, proudly I stood
A magnanimous soul willing to share
Food that he had in store

I prided myself on my virtue
Of charity and love towards another
But Mom! My fall followed my pride
For my love is no match for that of a mother

Now, I know that I have been beatifying myself
For I was not sharing food as I claim
And praising myself is rather lame
I know it won’t bring me any real fame

Sharing it is called, when we part
With something close to our heart
But I was just throwing crumbs I had ignored
Considering them not part of my “daily bread”

The puppies were playing together
Under the close supervision of their mother
It reminded me of your all-seeing eye
And how you protected me every day

With my head held high
With pride covering every eye
I threw a few crumbs on the ground
I felt a feeling of joy, so profound...

The four pups abandoned their game
Rushing towards me they came
Their mom slowly approached me
And I could see hunger in every eye

I had always thought
That hunger was something abstract
That it was only felt
And that a physical form, it had not

But that day, that particular day...
I don’t know what to say
I saw the pain of hunger
In the eyes of the mother
She wanted a few of those crumbs
But probably didn’t know how to ask
May be she had her manners and policies
And did not take a meal without doing a task

Or maybe she didn’t want to fight her kids
Which amongst us humans would surprise some
For we fight our parents and our kids
And are perfect symbols of Darwinism...

Let us forget about ourselves for a while
And walk the extra mile
To learn more about humanity
Which in us humans, is a rare quality

The mother looked at me with those eyes
Those big watery pleading eyes
That conveyed a million thoughts
Without having spoken a single word.

I knew she wanted something to eat
Maybe not a full-fledged treat
But something to satisfy her hunger
Something to make her live a bit longer

I had a few more bread crumbs left
And so when our eyes met
I dug deep into my bag again
To comfort her hunger and pain...


I thought that at least in this attempt
I will feed and escape her contempt
But as happens everywhere and every time
My plan to feed her went in vain...

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
But trust me; what I say is true...
I dropped the crumbs on the ground
And before I knew it, the puppies crowded around

Mom you don’t know these puppies
They are perpetually hungry
Or maybe you do know this
As you have seen and fed me

They poured over into the crumbs
I can’t even imagine a metaphor to express this
So let me just go ahead and say that
They were as hungry as hungry puppies

Let’s not forget the hungry mother
For it was she who inspired me
To string a set of words
And make it an ode to thee

She stood there for a minute
A minute that drew on for an eternity
Or maybe thus it seemed to me...
While I watched her walk away decisively

It was then that I thought about you
And how many times you might have done that for me
What was hunger? I had no clue
But to ensure that, how many days did you have to go hungry?

Mom, I always tell my friends
That you and every other mother on this earth
Are members of a special species
An elite club every woman joins as she gives birth

I believed till very recently that this club was open
Only to a mother who was human
But the marvellous sight I witnessed
Has changed my belief and my perspective

People go to temples to pray
A god they haven’t met to this day
I wonder why they waste time in commuting to communion
When a selfless soul, no less in stature, lives in their own homes

Your sacrifices for me, for years and months and days,
From my birthday to this day,
All come flooding to me this moment
When I think about a stray dog

If a so-called untrained, uncultured dog was so protective
I can’t imagine how protective you would have been
Now after so many years I realise and see with my eyes
That you were the proverbial lid to the young eye that was me...

Mom! You and the rest of your club...
You teach us so many things
To make a living and enjoy the life we live
But Mom! Why do you forget to teach us
To love you the way you deserve...?