By Hitaishi Banerjee
My Grandpa from Kolkata,
a man loyal to his books.
My Grandpa from Asansol,
loyal to his do's.
Taught me even if life is wired against you,
you shall always rise higher.
But somehow, whenever I wanted a book,
my Grandpa from Kolkata would get me one straight away.
And whenever I had to work hard for a test,
my Grandpa from Asansol,
would want me to relax.
I asked, what changed?
My Grandpa from Kolkata.
who had to endure insults at times.
My Grandpa from Asansol,
who had to combat fears at times.
But somehow, whenever someone insulted me,
my Grandpa from Kolkata shielded me.
And whenever I felt scared in life,
my Grandpa from Asansol held my hand so that I felt fearless.
I asked what changed?
My Grandpa from Kolkata,
who was pretty darn good at math.
My Grandpa from Asansol
who was pretty darn good at poetry.
But somehow, both of them could never really pick a college they liked.
As if the college was supposed to like them.
Without much monetary security,
what could talented, hard-working individuals do?
As they sipped their tea, which soaked their tears.
They once told me,
I am pretty darn well,
at both math and poetry.
I can pick and choose any college I like.
I am a pretty talented woman
who has monetary stability.
I asked what changed?
One day both my grandfathers
didn’t have a specific location anymore.
They merged with the gust of wind
that soaked my tears.
As my heart held all these memories,
and finally understood what changed.
Instability fuels stability.
And when there’s a heart we love involved,
we shield that naive heart from all the lessons which we learned the hard way.
One day I’ll turn into a grandma from a location,
unbeknownst to me at present.
I will shield my grandchildren from the days,
my heart felt a little too naive, a little too innocent.
When there was nothing but a gust of wind to keep my tears company,
I swear to catch each of their tears with my own bare hands,
and take their sins if I have to.
To see the smiling faces,
Whose first love, I hope they crown me.
They’ll wonder what changed.
Until my presence turns into a gust of wind,
to cloak their ever-youthful hearts.
They’ll wrap my memories with theirs.
Intertwine them just like I did.
They’ll understand what changed.