On the Threshold of Sweet Sixteen

My Dear Shakthi, Siva, Joe,

My child, my love, my friend

How is it that you have grown

Too quickly and also taller in stature

Bolder in temperment;

Do you have that’child’ in you,

As you have began to

Cris cross the middle layer of

The teenage?

Are we friends now?

Do you listen to me ?

Have I became a responsible

‘Appa’ to guide and goad

You to higher academic goals?

Has the transition from cluny

To vivekananda,

Upset you very much ?

Is it like a rose,

With many thorns ofcourse?

Is Rekha a gentle breeze or a violent storm,

Sent fropm heaven

To provide anchor (emotional)?

To fill the vaccum

Left by your beloved suchitra !

Delinking from cluny,

The inevitable

Distorning of many

From that beautiful paradise

A blessing in disguise?

You can’t forget those roots,

Tender creepers, your policewoman role,

Your dancing theater,

Carefree laissezfaire life,

Filled with fun and freedom,

Music and dance

Mischief and indifference

To studies ofcourse.

2002 will mark a

Watershed in your life-

A notional/ temporary exit of suchitra

Entry of Rekha,

Continual contact with your

Bososm friend in U.S

Over phone and internet,

Make you feel as if

You are in a safe world of

Durable friendship,

Love, care and concern.

Cluny circle will continue to graviate.

Accomodating and adjusting

With mischevious boys

And pulling on,

Wearing smile on the face

Always,

In the ‘new’ environiment,

Without creating much fuss,

You can give credit to yourselves.

Fighiting for gender equity,

Wging war against

All kinds of injustice,

Inequities and adharma,

You can do it slowly,

More strategically.

Have commitment to work

For their upliftment

Your father couldn’t go

Beyond a limit,

Even while crossing the

Lakshman Rekha many a time,

Virtually crossing swords

With elements of

Criminality and venality.

In the absence of

Integrity and efficacy

At the top,

Our passonate concern

And feverish enthusiasm

To cleanse the system

Can at best remain as

‘pwoerful voices of Dissent’

Causing ripples.

Remember,

Their effects in cosmos

Will unleash benificial outcome,

One day.

It’s time we learnt the

Art of cultured silence,

Saintly silence, on occassions,

Without abandoning our

Core identities,-

Vibrant personalities.

The innocence of

The first three,

Teen age years

You have handled effectively !

As a person !

Thought not as a

Hard working student.

The over all report card

Is very good.

But there are

Vital / crucial red marks-

Health- not much cooperative

Diet- not raken much seriously

As junk food has

Taken over your

Strong parental genes

And lending a and of assistance,

In household work ,

Is still a marginal

Few minutes morning touch.

When you complete

The enchanting sweet sixteen,

Will you grow into an

Adult - ?

Full of vigour and

Physical strength.

Keeping the house clean, and

Cooking the food you like

At Kitchen,

Fully autonomous and

Independent,i.e

Not sitting before T.V.Box

During all the eye,

Your posture, health

And ofcourse your

Physical frame,

Not to speak of the academic loss.

Vijay and maddy

Surya and vikram

Need not disappear

From the scene

Altogether.

There must be adequate

Space for

Reading, walking,

Sleeping, cooking,

Washing and cleaning

And helping the ailing mummy.

You need to change,

You will, you can.