By Mathew John
Son, it is not my wish
to advise you
though my tongue yearns,
yearns to be -
An advisor to the King.
Son, it is not my wish
to advise you,
though this may end up only as
another boring piece of advice
in another letter from a father to his son.
For, it took years for my father’s sermons
to traverse the miles
between my ears and my brain
and I learnt about most things
after enough follies had been past.
Let me tell you just this -
The way to go,
seems to me
from life to the book
and not the other way round.
So, let life teach you
before your father’s words
And let life teach you
to outgrow
the interesting stories that other people tell.
For, nobody is really very sure.
Earlier they used to tell -
Never look beyond the wall
Now, they have built
A ladder for you to climb.
But, nobody is really very sure
about the wall, forget the ladder.
Very few boxes have been opened, my son
It is still an interesting world out there.
So, let me not offer you
A book, a window,
a jigsaw puzzle
or my reading glasses..
Let me give you
just these –
My silence and my smile.