Dear Papa
I have not as many memories of you,
Of summer afternoons in a park
As I have of mamma and me
And endless hours of scrabble.
But guilty I am, of ignoring
How patiently you waited outside
As mamma and I would debate colours
Over prices, how we would haggle.
I cannot recall, not once
Your interest in my homework
Or, for that matter
Your presence at a PTA meet.
But selfishly I overlooked, that you
Brought home every single summer
My favourite mangoes, so deliciously sweet.
Always tied up you were
In the binds of fraternity and kin
And I never felt you appreciated
My honesty, or recognised my individuality.
But how wrapped was I in
The immature trappings of youth
That I could not look beyond
What I perceived was, insensitivity?
I do not remember your asking me
About my first day in college
About my teachers, "do you like them"?
Or even, "how are your grades?".
But never can I forget, how you
Painstakingly packed my suitcases
How you hugged me and cried
Bid me farewell, at the airport gates.
You were never on my side
You called me a rebel
Never had we, any conversations
But oh arguments there were galore.
Now my heart flips with joy
For I love how much we talk
When I call out to you
Anytime, from any distant shore.
I fell in love, it broke and trampled my heart
And try as I might, I could not think
Of anyone to turn to but you
To pick me up, to help me cope.
You held me long and you held me tight
In your arms so strong. And spoke to me
Like never before. Yes, I remember
Those magical words, of life and of hope.
"I probably never, have told you
In so many words. You my dear are
My pride and happiness, my source of strength
Bear ever in your heart, what I tell you now.
My little girl, for that is what you will always be
Whatever it takes, as long as I live,
No hurt, no pain, not a shadow of gloom
Will I, let crease your brow."
As I lie here, reminiscing years spent
Holding, begrudgingly, against you
Unspoken words, unfulfilled hugs
What a fool I have been, I realize.
My quest for a fairytale father
Ends here, now. For I have found
My knight in shining armor
In the love that shines, in my father's eyes.
posted by dewdrop @ 12:13 AM
16 Comments:
Thats an absolutely spellbounding piece . Profusely poetic. Sorry I'm sounding like a third grade critic , but I simply loved it.
How true it is that we under value the people so close to us and realize only too late.
Hey, that was beautiful...
If you can write like this then I think you will be most welcome there! I do have to admit that I don't really like long poems, I usually cannot read a poem which is more than a page in length unless its really good. I prefer brevity. But you have captured the multi-dimensional nature of a r'ship, especially that with a parent very nicely. Especially liked the first few verses where you contrasted two viewpoints so effectively.
chinar, Wilde, thank you so much for your appreciation and kind words :-)
Akshay, (why do i have this compulsion to add an "e" to your name?)
why, thank you! i'm glad you liked it so :-) yes, we take so much (esp parents) for granted growing up that sometimes i wonder if we can ever make it up to them.
Anil, :-) thank you very much! i rarely, actually never, write such long poems. infact i had to remove quite a few lines to cut it short to this size! but there was just so much i wanted to say. it was almost like a confession, an unsent plea :-) i've put up the link to a blog with my poems right on the top.
and i forgot to mention in my earlier reply to your comment, im not particularly fond of falsettos either but its just that song conjures up images of travolta strutting his stuff on the streets of new york and his divine dancing form, to that funky disco beat :-D haven't heard that song of bee gees that you mention, but will look for it!
One request..can't you post your poems here itself...its just that I'm too lazy to navigate between two blogs ;)
I really hope you do not have any more 'father' poems.
Just goes to show how good this one was.
Anil, :-) the poems are on this blog. just scattered, tucked away between mundane posts. and i do post them on both blogs. that work?
dear familiar stranger, thats a double-edged comment no? :-) i think i'll go for the compliment ;-)
In keeping with my aww theme, this is completely awwww. Bet your Dad lovveedd it. -- ph
Anil, bah how lazy! -- ph
familiar stranger = me :-)
Not double edged, no. Difficult for me to read any more such pieces, that's all...
Non-Sensei
:-) hey u! gotcha buddy (kinda...)
Ph..laziness is the prerogative of those burdened by creativity :p
dewdrop: ...and thank you..you saved me from wasting precious energy on mouse-clickings ;)
Very well written. Brings out the special bond between fathers and daughters!
Really Nice woman. Too much wonly.
Anil, anything to keep you coming back! ;-)
:A:,Rahul, thankie thankie *bows* :-)
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