When Nestlings Fly Away

It was the year 1980

Or was it 1985? 

One day I went, 

To meet Aunty De.

 

     She called me and said, 

     "Come here dear Anju, 

      You know my son Ashu, 

     He has got admission in the US Of A

     And thus fulfilled his mission. "

There went Ashu to the U S of A, 

In the beginning he missed Ma and Baba, 

She was thrilled, 

Yes, too thrilled.

 

     Then his letters came few,

      In between, 

      Slowly they stopped, 

      With nothing in between.

 

Then in 1990 or 1991,

I again visited Aunty De, 

Again it was a sunny day, 

And yet again she was thrilled.

 

       Now, it was Deepa, 

       Her dearest Deepa, 

       "You know my dear Deepa,

       She's got a "Jamai" from US of A.

 

       ("Jamai"--son in law) 

History repeated itself, 

Again a sad end repeated itself, 

Starting with a few letters, 

Here and there, 

Came to one a month, 

Down to one in 6.

        She and Uncle waited, 

        Patiently for her, 

        She came and spent,

        15 days here and 30 there,

        And went back as she came.

Now it was 2000,

I once again visited her,

Now Uncle was no longer there,

But her kids were only for a couple of days

And she bore everything with her usual smile,

Blaming none at all.

        But what an irony of life it is?

       We let nestlings fly away,

        Never to be back,

        And spend our last days in the hope,

       Of them coming back.