Father's Day!

As you snuggled into my arms,
Under the moonlit sky,
As you rattled out the questions
"Papa, when do I have a mustache like you?
When will I grow big?"
And a dozen on tow,
A hundred frames rolled across my canvas
All too familiar,
I gazed at my alter ego - the little me,
I smiled, yet had blurred eyes!

Doesn't feel like a distant past,
When I'd sit up unto late evenings,
To listen to the stories,
Pressing my father's head, or legs,
Or, when I tried the push-ups, the very first time,
Ebb and flow, like a shadow,
Or, the day when I took the razor down my face,
Copying him to the point, that it left a cut!

I still try to catch up with him,
The walk, the talk,
The pace, passion, and patience,
"It's just a bend, not the end!"
Be there every single moment,
Be there, at every turn, Bapa
At every crossroad
My Hero, my North Star.

Getting off the school bus,
When the first words you utter were
"Is Papa back?"
My chest burst with pride, like never
The happiness of being a father,
The joys of unconditional love,
And of letting you get on my shoulder,
So I could see the world
Through your eyes.

As a playful gust of wind
Swept several pages,
A hand-written card blew away
From its mooring,
Only to be stuck to my chest
Tattered, but the words still jutting out
Loud as ever,
With a Bapa like you,
Every day is Father's day!




© Sashikant Mohanty