FOR MY DAUGHTER ON HER 16 TH BIRTHDAY

When you were bornYou were too delicate to be held

In my clumsy handsI waited eagerly to embrace you,

Holding you in my armsI relearned to believe

And re-lived my childhood

Carrying you piggyback Taught me that love is not love

Unless one loves selflessly, unconditionally

Your accolades pile upFaster than your years

So tough to keep in synch With your ever dancing feet

I distinctly remember being blindfolded by youHmm, the preludes to our free styled Karate- Judo- Kung-fu sessions

I vividly re-collect your preconditions That I have no limbs

That I must attack & defend with my torsoAnd the flurry of your kicks & punches

He, He, How would you know,How they tickled me so.

It amazes me that despite my madnessFor Karate till my youth

I could never win a bloody medalWhile your Judo antics bring glories galore

Yes, Judo is simpler, After all it is the gentle easy going way

We need to spar again soonBefore I totally decay

Don’t be sure of beating your fat ageing PopseyDon’t you know the cardinal ruleThat appearances are deceptive.

Before I knew it You tumbled into teensI am sorry, my first born

If I screwed up in your parenting

I have missed you so muchWhile being away

How would you know

The desperation I hadBeing away on borders

To hear your voiceJust to be reassured

That you are well

I have loved youOnly in the way I know

Breaking parental traditionsShedding norms & inhibitions

I did all what I wantedTo be done to me as a childTo be loved unconditionally

To be pampered unconditionally ;)

As you tumble through your tumultuous teensI realize I can’t turn you back into a child

You have sprouted wingsAnd eye distant horizons

The nest is suddenly too stifling For your flapping wings

As I ageI accept the futility

Of my searing ambition Of having both my girls

Right next to meThroughout my leftover life

To preside over domesticated son-in- lawsWith a double barrel gun

Shall remain my silly pipe dream

You must now chart your own courseThere is no return to the cocoon

As you turn over the magic number of 16

With misty eyesI know, I can no more lift you

And toss you in the airTo catch you in my arms

Like the butterfly, you blossom into a young womanThough it makes me proud

Can’t explain why it breaks me inside

On your 16th BirthdayI wish you this wonderful world

And gift you myself all over again

Do well, my childThere are no miracles in lifeNo Khargu rabbits Samurais

Who come & rescue you from distress

My silly nonsensical storiesAre mere fantasiesImagine you must,

After all life there can be no life without dreams

Aspire you mustTo soar high in the skies

But there are no magic carpetsThe Aladdin’s lamp is you

For you to be polished till you gleanThe genie in youIs as powerful as

You dare to dream

There are no shortcuts to fameThe eagle that soars majestically

Has mastered the windsBy failing yet toiling relentlessly

His grand flight is a resultOf his not giving up his wings

& the burning desire to reach his dreams

Expecting you to be a role modelTo your little sister is just ain’t fair

More unfair to expect you to play motherTo your little sister

Everyone has only one childhood

Tall order for meTo wear mismatching shoes

Of father & motherBut don’t be disheartened

By my short statureI am taller & broader than I seem

I am also clumsier than I appearSo take the stumbles in your stride

I have grown over my past sins All I know is that there is you & I

Forgive me my harshnessIn my zeal to parent you with firmness

The clay has to run through the furnace As it shapes its destiny

The laws of nature dictateThat as a father, I must teach you

The strength and weaknesses of your wings As you embark on your voyage

Forgive me for being weariedWith my own turmoil

But rememberYou mean the world to me

& nothing ever compares to you

I would never let you downLetting go off you

Is altogether another thing

On your 16th BirthdayI wish you the stars,

The moon & the galaxyEnough of my loony tunes

Happy 16th, my childRemember always to be kind

Remember sharing love & happinessMakes it return to you manifold

May God always bless youMay the sun always shine on you!

Shyam17 November 2011