“Rearview”

Dad takes us on a long drive

as we reunite after two years in Jaunpur,

we come across my old school;

dad starts reminiscing first day of my school

and exclaims, he used to be a brat;

mamma replies, this institution is

a palette of memories

which turned him into a sincere boy.

Two miles away,

there’s an exhibition going on

where I recall going every year

after being done with my exams;

we chatter about how my parents used to

bring me here to get my favorite toy

on the pretext of

passing my exams with flying colours.

We move forward in a similar way to life,

we dine at my favourite restaurant,

mamma asks dad to order

chicken curry as

it bring tastes to our conversation;

for it used to my favourite dish

and mamma used to cook it for me eagerly

on different occasions.

We finish the scrumptious dinner,

I confess:

no season is perennial;

just look at our bodies

yesterday I had no facial hair,

today I have grown a beard,

tomorrow it’s going to turn grey,

even our face is not uniform throughout.

Yesterday we were dependent on our parents,

today, our kids depend on us,

yesterday we were taught,

today we teach,

yesterday we used to play

in the verandah,

today, our kids relish

their childhood in the very same verandah;

life teaches us through different stages

and different people on different pages

fate keeps inking its vagary chapters

as we get lost in the lone plot of life

perhaps, life’s lesson keeps going eternal

we decide to leave the restaurant,

we come out and

look at the sky to introspect:

time elapses fast

just like the disappearing sun under the horizon

my childhood disappeared somewhere

under the responsibilities of adulthood.