My Father Forever Poem by Seema Jayaraman

I thought you were forever
And so was I
I thought you were
The old warbled banayan tree
In the equally ancient temple courtyard
Witnessing the desperate prayers
and the wild pleas
And the many weddings and promises made blatantly
And I could continue to play being the little birdie
Hopping on your branches,
and singing safely from the thicket of your leaves
make my mammoth nests from your twigs
And forever collect seeds for insatiable hunger
And all along you stood there benevolently
My shelter in high winds and heavy rain
Leaving me to sing joyous songs
While you stood facing the vagaries of life and time
Forever etched in the scuffed stone walls
And the pillars like your shoulders
And on the smile on your face
The folly of the belief
Even when i saw the grand parents
leave one by one
And so forever it is since your skin
Soft like the pink lotuses in the temple pond
Hasnt even show signs of crinkling
So please stay, please stay some more
Hear your daughter pleas
Hold on to my hand, stay some more
So we can walk your old paths together
Leisurely,to our hearts fill
Just dont fade away and leave me alone
Forever it is, I begged
be my Father in all my lives
- -
Seema Kj