The Wild Fire And The Mother Poem by Parameswaran Nair Damodaran Nair

The giant dragon advanced hissing aloud
Licking with its tongues of hot red flames
In countless avaricious wide open mouths
And devouring everything in its unjust course.

Ashes, flames and smoke rose to the sky
Covering from visibility the jungle around
Yet she spotted out her home-tree afar.
How could a mom miss her nest and chicks?

Much frightened and distressed, her chicks
Cried out for their mother in extreme agony.
A fire that began to burn inside the mother
Tempted her to fly to the nest risking her life,

The union was much solacing for them
Even amid the engulfing dreadful wild fire.
The baby birds were too young to fly, and
The mother was unable to fly carrying them.

It became impossible for them to withstand
The torrid fire, the black smoke and fumes.
As the giant flames began to peep into the nest
The mother shielded them under her wings.

'Fly away mom, save your life, leave us to our fate,
You can still lay eggs and rear chicks', they prayed
The more they insisted the faster she held them
The raging fire was not kind enough to spare either.

As the victory march of the heartless fate advanced
Smell of burned feathers and flesh arose out the nest.
Later, on the wilted leaves of the tall trees were seen
No dew drops but tear drops fell down from above!