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Father
In tears
But hidden from
Others, behind dark glasses;
Crying in another room
Without any sound so that
The family should not hear
Those sobs when he could not pay
For the education
The medical bills of his own
The dirty dowry for his daughter
In a system that sucks honest blood;
Might have seen him
Occasionally
Disintegrate, shoulders sagged,
Eyes sunken, beaten by life but
Never giving up for the family,
Like a battered boxer in the ring
And then reintegrate
Before coming out to
Face you and others,
All the tears wiped,
Shoulders firmed up
Smile restored, a good
Actor!
Lonely in a corner room,
Living with memories but
Always full of warmth
For you, on phone;
I, too, have seen
Fathers do the same
And found myself in that room
With similar actors,
Going through all these scenes. |
