THE PEG 

Dear Babu Jee,

Today once again

I travelled deep into the memory lane

To pick some glorious moment from the past.

And just found your cotton Kurta

Hanging on the peg.

Both of its pockets looked laden

With the burden

And borne by the hanger

All alone like you.

The pockets were full of papers,

Full of letters

And list of daily needs:

Of books and copies ,

Of monthly groceries

Which you kept promising to bring

The next week or coming Sundays

Without fail.

Even after mother’s frustrating retort

The Promises habitually lingered on,

But you remained calm as ever.

When she’ll run out of her patience

And find her composure totally lost,

You would bring some groceries home,

You would bring some peace.

The peg stood witness

For all the burns and burden

That Babujee had in his heart and mind.

Whenever you received letters

Of grandpa and grandma

You reverently felt blessed

And also knew it well

There must be some demand

On the back.

Yet as a burden bearing beast

You religiously fulfilled their needs

And the peg knew it all.

Day by day

Demands and desires kept spiralling

With the passage of time,

But it could hardly bother his mind.

When Babujee came home with my result

And showed it to mom,

The glimpse of glitter was evident on their faces.

You read my first poem loudly

Breaking the silence of sleeping night.