Golden Gathering Poem by mohanan viswambharan Nair

Watch, Who sits beneath the tree's shade?
Where do they come from? the blooming flowers,
Caterpillars, butterflies, with the same innocence I had seen decades ago.
Who sits in the middle, under the snow shade?
My dear teachers, and sweet friends Suresh, and Madhu, directly from heaven
Do we keep a distance from them as they are elevated beings?
On a sad night, Madhu was with me in the medical ICU confines.
Praying to be free of an infectious disease.
But he died, and I survived.
His body was taken out, as his wife and daughter were mourning.

Many friends fell halfway on the road of this uncertain journey.
By God's grace, my father became a PTA representative and a good guide to me.
He asked me to come out first in class.
As a mediocre student, I could not subdue two learning machines.
Mr.A and B were always leaving me behind.
Thampi, an erotic man, then troubled me, too, with his erotic literature.
I read it hidden in my study materials at night.
My father saved me and took away all the dirt from my study.
He put an abridged copy of ‘Lady Chatterley's Lover' in its place.
Oh! A gracious act, that led me to pursue a postgraduate degree in English
Later, I held a post-graduate diploma in journalism, a new endeavour.
When I offered a bunch of flowers on his amputated legs on his pyre,
I was a Government Servant, a blessing from him.
I got another boom of reading habits from him that ranged from Bertrand Russel to Lord Lytton,
PG Woodhouse to Jerome K Jerome, Pearl. S. Buck to Virginia Woolf,
Whom Shall I thank for all these, on this earth?
From this sick bed, in this weak condition, I honour all our teachers.
My friends, the flowers, my blessings for your golden gathering.
Shall I write this event in golden letters, on a flag and fly it in the air?
Blessings from my deepest heart to all of you, once again.
I feel a brook flowing in my heart, in love and respect.

Mohanan. V. Nair


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