Mohammad Ahsan | | Little sparrow was my childhood friend
She had a free entry into my home-
-the ventilators, the windows or the doors:
entrances and exits never mattered,
the noon , morning or evening;
timings never mattered,
still she preferred the sunny days, and
hot summers made our home her permanent joint
She came lonely or with the mate,
flitted in the rooms and verandahs,
patronized the cornices,
gossiped with me,
chatted with her mate, and
squeaked when she did not like the things;
sometimes she fought the mate ferociously, and
tore the mate’s hair apart,
She sometimes brought in lots of straw and twigs,
that she deposited in some corner of the room or verandah,
Then out of the blue,
one day we saw a nest,
We had our share of curiosity,
but never did we tamper with,
Then someday there fluttered the little fledglings;
Sparrow and the mate were happy
We enjoyed the flight of fledglings
Life went on and on for me and her
Then one day I left home,
took the voyage for distant destinations,
passed years in search of food and shelter,
forgetting my childhood friend-the little sparrow;
Now years after coming back to old home,
not much has changed around,
except that they tell,
sparrows are no more seen in or around our towns
Sparrows are gone,
and so gone is,
the landscape of our homes and innocent joy of our childhood
Lucknow/25th December 2006
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