Tears, idle tears

When you came to us twelve years ago
You were a ball of wool
A toddler barely one month old
A breast sucking babe
And always full of play.
You took some time to shed
Some of your naughtiness
And to learn to behave
Yet a lot of it you still retained
Till your very last days
And it was so sweet
It always sweetened our lives
Often prone to be sour
You never liked anyone to quarrel
To show your disapproval
You hurried to a corner
Or took some cover
An embodiment of happiness
You were always happy
Even with trifles
Like a rag, a stick or a ball of rubber.

You took to your new mother like your own
Because you never measured your choice
By rank or riches
As we always do.
A great detective
You could easily detect
The presence or absence of love.
You sought coziness and warmth
Not of physical comfort but of love and care.
You relished a hug or a kiss
More than a dish of sweet fare.

You grew up with mother's other daughter
And became great friends.
You made her your constant companion
And taught her how to love
When weighed down by weighty things
Like her heavy studies or exams
You were always there her to tell
Not to make life dreary and dry
Not to make it all work
But to keep aside some time to play
And to share the precious moments
Of your perennial joyfulness.

The home you once made your own
A castle you jealously guarded
With all your might and brain
Against all sorts of intruders
And all kinds of sorrow and pain
Your golden touch
Once filled it with fresh air
And a lot of light and innocent fun
Now even under the midday sun
It stands empty and dark
Like a house of death
When you suddenly left
You took it all away with you
Now only an utter loneliness reigns.
But you have left your indelible marks
In all its nooks and corners
And in every place
To efface them is but to efface our very existence. 

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Originally written on 1st November 2002
(Our beloved Lucy was born on the 27th of October, 1990.
She left us after a short illness on the 31st of October, 2002)

THIS DOG

Every morning this dog, very attached to me,

Quietly keeps sitting near my seat

Till touching its head

I recognize its company.

This recognition gives it so much joy

Pure delight ripples through its entire body.

Among all dumb creatures

It is the only living being

That has seen the whole man

Beyond what is good or bad in him

It has seen

For his love it can sacrifice its life

It can love him too for the sake of love alone

For it is he who shows the way

To the vast world pulsating with life.

When I see its deep devotion

The offer of its whole being

I fail to understand

By its sheer instinct

What truth it has discovered in man.

By its silent anxious piteous looks

It cannot communicate what it understands

But it has succeeded in conveying to me

Among the whole creation

Transcreation of poem 14 from the collection Arogya by Rabindranath Tagore. During the closing years of his life every morning at Santiniketan the poet used to take his breakfast sitting on the verandah. At that time a stray dog used to sit very patiently at his feet. The breakfast consisted of a few slices of bread and a cup of tea. This dog shared it with the poet – but the bread had got to be buttered, otherwise it wouldn’t touch it. They – the poet and the dog – became great friends. Occasionally when it absented itself from this habitual meeting the poet made his attendants seek it out.
[This was published in boloji not very long ago.]