My Old Man

He used to be a teacher, my old man,

Enlightening minds throughout his lifespan.

After his retirement, my father took over his responsibility,

worked day and night for our clan's prosperity.

My mother brought me up protected in her palms,

Taught me to be gentle, caring and calm.

My father became a successful man,

Bigger house, better income, and exciting future plans;

He worked day and night,

and prayed for the improvement of our clan.

But as they say that happiness comes with a cost,

And it happened so that in a fatal accident,

Both of my parents I lost.

Now, I was left only with my old man,

Whom I had never seen crying,

But now, he was, as he had lost his clan.

He used to be my teacher, my old man,

Decided to teach again for the rest of his lifespan.

But there are hurdles in every path,

Weak sight, broken teeth, and deafness,

Good subject knowledge and strong will

Were the only things he had.

The next day, he set out to teach,

In a nearby village where the children

Were blind without knowledge.

It was not easy to light a candle

In the middle of the storm.

Mocked at,criticized by people in the village,

Who thought education was a stone,

Which drowned in the lake just when it was thrown.

He enlightened many with a will to teach,

And helped many to cross the road of life.

Now as he has become a star,

Now as he went very far,

I share his occupation to enlighten minds.

Just like him, I'm now a teacher,

just like my old man,

Enlightening minds throughout my life span.