A little , little bright star was born- sixteen years back

A little  , little  bright star   was   born- sixteen years back

By

Raja  Thatha

I retired in January 2000. And was eking out   a boring existence  , when one day   , like a bolt from a blue , a phone call came  from our dear daughter   and our dear Son-in-law .WE were   informed that soon we would become   grandpa    and grandma   and our daughter  requested  us   to come over to USA. Naturally we were thrilled and the usual  preperations   for going to USA started. After a few months   we did reach  the pretty urban pocket near Los Angeles   called Irvine. We spent the next six months  there. In the month of june , one night after 9 Pm  my wife  , my daughter and son in law   went to hospital . As a father who loved my daughter  very,  very much  , I could not  sleep. Then around 12AM  I started    seeing a movie  of the famous  French novel  Hunchback  of Notre dam .Even before  I could see   the entire picture  ,  A granddaughter    was born  to us that night  and as per  the wishes of our daughter  she was named Maithree (the friendship).. A grandpa  does not have any work  in a home where  three  ladies were  there   and so I wrote a  small  poem about  my new granddaughter. Here is an excerpt from   that poem:-

There came on a fine morn ,

When all the world was dark ,

When a  bright little    star  was born,

Who like a sun  lit up the   entire world.

That   star  though  called friendship  ,

Did not smile but chose  to lit the world  with her cry,

And  to her pa , ma and grandma   who were  by her side,

That cry  was sweeter  than any music that they have  ever heard.

That little star  one day  came to her  home in a little green car  ,

Which dazzled   the world   due to luster  of that little   babe.

The little  home of her pa and ma , Was no more a home ,

But was  the eden of yore that got the  Midas touch,

And  with the little star  luster and shine covered  that  entire  home .

With little  maithree  in her crib,

The idiot box  of their home   shed saltish  tears   for ever,

Because all the beauty  they all  ever wanted to see,

Was there  in their little  baby’s   frown.

The Veena which used to strum , was coated with dust,

For the    cry of their baby fine, was to all of them,

The sweetest song that   they ever  have  heard.

No more did bollywood’s   stars   dance  in their home,

From the videos   brought from neighboring  Indian stores,

For   each and every move   of their little  “Friendship”

Was to them the purest dance that  ever was dreamt by Bharatha the great.

                         Sixteen   years  later

Days  have changed , my  little  little star .

Don’t you see  in  the dreamy sparkle  ,

Of this  old man’s  sunken eyes,

Thine  days  of divine joyful future  ,

Of  those   years   which are    yet to come ,

When  you  as a  lovely lass would come,

With a stammer   and stutter  along with your  little friend  ,

Of those days  when you would  stupefy this earth ,

With your   great feats  , which none of us ever dreamt,

When   you along    with your chosen one  ,

Would   walk the  glorious  paths of future,

With a reddish    tinge   on your   cheeks,

But my little  ,  little one   , this tree   has become old,

And all this  that this tree   can do in future ,

Is to pray  the Great God and thank him ,

For making  his fading years  bright ,

BY sending you  , the brightest  star that  he ever saw,

And request that God    never   ever  to make,

A little    drop of tear fall  from  the eyes  of  his  own little   bright  star.