BY YOUR BIRTH AM I DIMINISHED (A Parent’s Lament)
O’ my child,
O’ my beloved child.
Why do you appear surprised
To see me cry this way?
Only because you have not
Seen me cry before?
Only because I was always
The strong one,
Strict and unbending?
The truth is,
I have cried for you
In all the years of your life.
From the first moment
I cradled you in my arms.
I cry because
So much of me have passed to you,
And I am left with only a little.
By your birth am I diminished.
I cry not of sorrow,
But in the state of witnessing
Of our Lord’s promise.
And the mirror which you carry
Within you hurts my eye
Whenever I look into you,
And see me.
For in you
Is a ray of hope
For a better me,
A ray of light
That at times,
Shines a little too bright.
O’ my child,
O’ my beloved child.
Why do you appear surprised
To see me cry this way?
Only because you have not
Seen me cry before?
Only because I was always
The strong one,
Strict and unbending?
The truth is,
I have cried for you
In all the years of your life.
From the first moment
I cradled you in my arms.
I cry because
So much of me have passed to you,
And I am left with only a little.
By your birth am I diminished.
I cry not of sorrow,
But in the state of witnessing
Of our Lord’s promise.
And the mirror which you carry
Within you hurts my eye
Whenever I look into you,
And see me.
For in you
Is a ray of hope
For a better me,
A ray of light
That at times,
Shines a little too bright.
...............................................................
Found this little prose written in 2006. I cannot remember what transpired behind the writing. But I think, such sentiments are eternal and real, any time, anywhere. May God bless our parents and our children, may God forgive us this Ramadan the Fabulous for the sake of Muhammad, the Last Word in Fabulousism.
No comments:
Post a Comment