Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Nine random questions at the end of nine months:

Nine months of wait,
Of torment and hope,
Of joy and pain,
Of seeking and salvation,
Could any lovers’ meeting be so eventful, ever?

A woman sacrifices everything for this,
Her physical form – obese and unattractive,
Her movements – restricted and uncomfortable,
Her aspirations – curtailed and ‘glassed’,
Is it worth it – today? Ten years from now? Forty years from now?

I see my wife in front,
Tears in her eyes,
Stress on her face,
Love in her heart,
Was I a mere spectator, an audience to this miracle of Creation?

All signs of the coming,
The stomach – enlarged,
The pains – intense,
The affection – unbound,
Is the umbilical cord linked to the stomach or the soul?

I wait in the labour room,
The doctors – in control,
The nurses – efficient as ever,
The ayahs – obedient to the tee,
What am I doing here – being reminded of my duty in the times to come?

She finally arrives, resplendent and radiant,
Crying and curious,
Calm and calamitous,
Comforting and comfortable,
Then why do I detect an uneasiness in my heart?

The child is born and several people are made,
A mother,
A father,
A whole host of relations,
Have the creators been re-created by the creation?

She is very similar to me,
My blood and my genes,
My line and my family,
My present and my future,
And yet, why do I feel very different today? Very, very different?

I will remember this time for years to come,
Her look frozen in my eyes,
Her voice etched in my heart,
Her existence embedded in my soul,
Will she reciprocate? Does not matter really, does it?
Her birth was for us, her life is for her – will I remember this always?