I used to feed my daughter
From a country makeshift food stall,
While paying the bill
I boasted of the tinkling coins.
Today
My daughter took me to a cafe
Paid a currency note of high Deno for a sip
of cold coffee.
I felt
Refreshingly cool….
boasting, receding
In the ebb of time.
She never forgot Dhenkanal Vada*
And I won’t forget the coffee
As it descended not from a son’s purse.
I felt a bit sorry for wasteful extravaganza,
But how long a father will stick to economics
To steal children’s smiles
From the Café Coffee Day of life?
I feel refreshingly well off
A cup of coffee has enough of life.
*Dhenkanal Vada - Vada a tiffin item, very famous in Dhenkanal of Odisha.
CCD - Café Coffee Day
