The Silent Reader and the Tot
There was a bassinet and in it a lay a tot
Dark bleak nights and days so short
Sleep was rare and rarer was it sound
The tot often wondered, is death around?
But death isn’t so kind, neither is life
To understand it well, supreme souls must connive
So, the supreme souls said, “Let it be then”
Reveal the intricate secrets before she comes to heaven
Then came striding, the Silent Reader
Conspicuous, vivacious and so very tender
She held the tot’s hand and rocked the cradle
The tot looked up and saw an end to her trouble
“You are mistaken my darling”, said the silent reader
“I can’t end the unrest, but I can be your mentor”
I will tell you the secrets and the lore of love and life
But you are your own savior, you alone have to strive
Nights went by and the tot heard stories
Of life, of death, of a dervish called Shams of Tabriz
The wintry nights kept getting shorter
There was sunshine now and the tot was merrier
But the coldness of the night bothered her still,
“When will it end, can you give me a magic pill?”
The Silent Reader smiled infectiously,
“The pill is with you”, she said so humbly
“Hold on my dear”, said the Silent Reader
“For there is no winter that lasts forever”
Months passed by and the tot was growing
What wasn’t visible earlier, now she was seeing
She smiled more often and lesser she cried
She changed herself briskly yet remain unchanged
Finally, spring came and the tot was at glee
Out she ran but came back feeling chilly
“Wasn’t spring here to stay”, said she perturbed
“Of course, it is”, said the serene faced Silent Reader
Life is a mix of all seasons and will always be so,
But sometimes when it's chilly you have to just let go
Accept what you can’t change and change what you can
Happiness is a choice, in life’s topsy turvy lane
Twinkled the tot’s eye, for she finally had her answers
It didn’t hurt anymore; she was no more her own vexer
Stood up the Silent Reader and looked at her intently
“It’s time for me to go”, She said ever so warmly
An oxymoron was witnessed therein, happy tears of the tot
The departure of her beautiful mentor was a happy heartbreak of sorts
“Put me in my bassinet and keep it by the fireplace”
I am still scared of the winter, put me in a safe space
“Look in the mirror once, my dear” and face what is real
“Look at your body and your soul, you have outgrown your cradle”
A steady gust of warmth flushed the tot’s face
She wasn’t a tot anymore, but a woman running life’s race
The silent reader’s face beamed as she bid her final goodbye,
With grace matchless and bliss unrivaled, she walked away
Away she walked, into a world of new adventures
Of fun, frolic, and ardent ventures
Leaving behind the beautiful difference she had made
Unaware of the fact that a life had been saved
The sands in life’s hourglass kept slipping out
The woman had healed, without a spec of doubt
She had forgotten her lovers and surely all the haters
But etched in her heart will always be the beautiful Silent Reader