To,

To the dimple that didn’t jump in and out

Because it was permanently etched on your face.

To the long lashes we envied

Because it gave your eyes a twinkle that was difficult to trace

To the hugs you gave 

Though your hands didn’t go all the way around

They were large enough to envelop us in your warmth.

To the cute hands

That clasped ours tight and didn't let go 

To the chubby cheeks we each took our chance to pull

Only to realise they weren’t really as soft as they looked

Their looks were deceptive, just like you

Though you were short and tiny

You were anything but tiny

To the largest heart I ever encountered

Ever open to strangers, with a smile, ready with introductions

There was never a place where people didn’t know you

Even after you are gone,

People are still forming connections in your name

(And I’m sure you are introducing us while you’re up there)

To the moments you showed us 'grace'

Even in moments of meaningless mirth

To the leader in you

Who always made everyone feel included

To the matured grown-up in you

Who always knew to say the right things at the right time

To the f.r.i.e.n.d. in you

Who always said ‘I’ll be there for you’ no matter what and was always there

To the artist in you,

Who found beauty in simple things (like sand)

To the photographer in you

Who managed to get the most beautiful candid pictures out of the millions clicked (without consent)

To the director in you

Who knew when she had to take charge to turn chaos into something heart-rending

To the story-teller in you

Who made ‘Game of Life’ one of our most precious memories

To the fighter in you

Who always stood up for what was right

To the baby in you that we couldn’t imagine being married

Because you were our baby

To the mother in you

Who wanted to provide a loving home to those who hadn’t

To the times when we were scared and close to giving up

When you rescued us with your reassurance and prayers

To the times when you were sick

And still made an effort to send a smile through

To the times when we blamed you for stealing friends

And now your friends are all you've left us with

To the times you avoided travelling alone

Only to travel the hardest one alone

To the times I wish I could have with you

To the times I still wish I could hold you

To the times I wish you were here

Shackles on my Feet

They dumped me along with thieves and thugs

A lot that I didn’t deserve

They’ve driven out my very humanness

A quality, I thought, I could preserve

The great and mighty, law and order

Put me behind bars

For merely trying to survive

I’m now covered in a million scars!

What other option did I have?

To feed those hungry mouths

To save their mother, my poor sister

From those drunk and angry clouts?

I spent many years wondering,

Was stealing really a crime?

When you needed a piece of bread to eat

And hadn’t even a dime?

“This isn’t the place for me”,

I tried to state my case,

But they turned a deaf ear on me

And I could only plead for God’s grace.

I was sentenced for three years.

Wasn’t that a bit too much?

The feeling of remorse grew within me

And I longed for a human touch.

The walls around me grew smaller and smaller

At last, I could bear it no more.

I escaped at every chance I saw

And sought freedom’s shore.

But I wasn’t meant to flee so easily

They clapped me back in chains,

The tiny window of hope disappeared

And doubled up my pains.

If Fate it was, I would accept

And learn to pay my dues,

To do what was expected of me,

And cry away my blues.

After more than a decade passed,

They granted me reprieve.

A clean shirt on my hardened back;

And an identity on my sleeve.

My heart thumping hard in my chest

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

After the years in the dark dungeons

I could finally admire the blue skies.

This was the moment I had awaited

The freedom for which I longed

Forward bound, anxiously stepping

Into the world to which I had belonged.

As I stepped out, a million eyes

Would turn around and stare,

I told them I was innocent

But they didn’t so much as care!

No one remembered Jean Valjean now,

I was to be 24601.

I was to have the shadow of my past follow,

And not given the chance of a day in the sun.

I looked around for a decent wage

Declaring honest work,

The moment I handed over my identity

They didn’t need a moment to shirk.

They said I was a parolee after all,

One they couldn’t trust;

Who would employ a former convict?

To live as an outcast now, was a must!

With no pennies to sustain

I asked the inn keeper to spare some food

One look at the yellowed document and he said,

“Do you take me for a fool?”

My crime has been small, my burden heavy

Both did not even compare

With the consequences I had been living with

And those I had been forced to bear.

As nightfall drew near, I looked around

For a place to rest my weary head.

“No!” was the answer I got at every door

“We cannot offer you a bed.”

Drained of life and dignity

I crawled into a kennel as a last resort,

The canine turned human that night.

Bit me, chased me and left me all for naught…

I stumbled through the dark night

Looking for a place to rest

Even a convict deserves some kindness, I thought,

A meagre shelter, at best?

While the last glimmer of hope faded

A dwelling place seemed to appear

A single knock at the door was answered

By an old maid who looked out in fear

“Step aside. Let him in”’

A voice called from beyond

“Don’t you see he’s frail and worn

And needs a shoulder to lean on?”

The old cleric clothed and fed me

And even vacated his humble room

He didn’t know me, yet welcomed me

A needy man, did he presume?

When all were sound asleep but I

I took in my surroundings, a house of bricks

A humble dwelling it appeared

Except for a pair of golden candlesticks

Though I had denied being a thief so far

I was ashamed at the first thought that broke through

“Those candlesticks could give me new life,

No 24601 hitherto.”

Silently, I made it through the night

Arms laden, planning the sale

Guilt-ridden though I was

I couldn’t afford to leave a trail

As dawn and the next county drew near

The authorities accosted me

They heaved me all the way back to the cleric

And asked, “Are these candlesticks your property?”

I didn’t want to be 24601 again

Living that life was hell

This time, I really was a thief, I was dishonest,

I could almost hear my death knell!

“Yes, I gave them to him,” the cleric replied

With a kindly smile that shrouded the wrinkles

“He needed them more than I”

And dismissed them with a twinkle.

As they parted, on my knees, I fell,

Sobbing with tears of relief

“I don’t deserve your saving grace,

I am a dishonest thief.”

“Every sinner can be forgiven”,

Came his gentle reply.

“I would never be able to repay you

Until the day I die,” said I.

“Pass on this act of kindness

To another person in need.

The greatest trees that branch out

Begin with a tiny seed.”

I swore to him, to myself and God,

From this vow I would never retreat

To practise kindness in word and deed

Finally free of shackles on my feet.