THESE FEBRUARIES

These Februaries

came in a row

one brought me love

one saw me grow

one took a toll

as it took my

one away

and left me crying

every day.

One brought me

the biggest gift of all

the love from my heart

in the form of a baby girl.

Then all Februaries

were spent in celebration

till one February

brought a funny sensation

my roving heart

that wandered out so much

had come home it seemed

if there really is such.

Februaries passed

and you'd think

aglow

well,

if you think that -

you just don't know!

Love moved to like

and like moved to hate

before either of us knew it

we were at the gate.

And today

is the last February - 

the last knot to untie

see how with the wind

the bits of love fly!

 

THE ORIGINAL PIED PIPERS

 

Parents

the Original Pied Pipers

made children appear - 

and when they did,

made them crawl,

dance to their tunes,

sleep to their lullabies,

read to their angry tones.

Dressed them, 

poor mannequin dolls - 

hair their way

clothes their way.

The mannequins

now turned 

walkie-talkies at parents' bidding - 

paraded in front of uncles, aunts, 'the whole school'

'participated in 'This Got Talent'

'That Got Talent'

twisting bodies and minds

forced to count and read

before they could walk and talk properly.

Complaints piled up

"your child is running down the corridor"

"your child laughs too loudly"

"your child cannot pronounce properly"

"your child is a dunce"

And Pied Piper parents

hold all the answers - 

grades, grades, grades

concentrate, study -

"my child is a genius!"

"my child is an engineer!"

"my child has a job!"

"my child is getting married!"

Somewhere in the midst of it all - 

So silently, no one noticed

the mountain had slid open

and both childhood and children

had disappeared.