A Word of Advice — Poem by Kalyani Rajalingham

Noble Man of Manhood years,
Shame Upon you,
If your heart’s bloom for a maiden,
Turns cold your stare to the blood that bore you

Unafraid to hunt blood or bank their poor world & virtue
All but for a distant chant from a far away land,
Then, may I say that you are the King of Fools,
Your foolish declarations shall not be heard!

Follow my words & I’ll show you of your true possessions & worth
In the little here or the larger there,
In poverty, In wrath, In wealth, In life’s ever growing sphere,
Where you stand, they stand near,
Since your first step, Since your rambles, since ones & twos

They held on, did they not? Day after day, hour after hour
Page by Page, they wrote their own Fate
All for you & you alone
All achievements are of no value

If to your source, you do not give its rightful respect
Or pay a price for the blood & birth they gave you,
Learn to hold dear first those who stand near
For, they alone would fight like mighty Kings
Or shelter your heart with their life’s worth

Young Man of Manhood Youth,
Right or Wrong,
To the width of this world, by hand they took you,
Your young vein, does it not remember days of old?
For any maiden’s love is nowhere near,
The splendor of that which lies right in front of you

Present & Past dictates Future, young fool,
Trembling before the woman, who bore & fed you,
Daunting your sisters, perhaps brothers too
When I wonder what they ever saw in you!

Flames come, Flames go,
Be brave & learn to let go
It’s not an obligation,
It’s the silent expression of a thank you

© Kalyani Rajalingham

Author’s Comments:  Your parents provided you with shelter, love, care, education…all that they could afford for you, so when they grow old, would it not be your responsibility to give them what they gave you? As you grow strong, they grow weak. But logic tells me that it’s just an inverse – a reversal of roles if you will. Think of them as your children & give them what they once gave you; a shelter, care, love, & a family to love. I never understood the point of shunning them into a home (for elderly) . For, old age implies experience, maturity & wisdom; people should be seeking them, not avoiding them.

In nature, with just about every species, there are at most two generations that live simultaneously – parent and child – simply because most animals will care for their young for a set period & then leave them to be.

Nature may have thought that this could help because with time comes maturity & to have it by your side when you’re still blooming would hardly be wrong. In life, you need two legs to stand: One is made from your past; the other, you make from your present & future. Place the word friends, love & your life in one eye, place the word family, siblings, and responsibility in the other. Now, open your eyes and you may with time see that the one is just as important as the other.

Criticize me all you want, I’m stupidly stubborn about my thoughts, but let me say this much- What you do to your parents, your future children will do to you.

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