Monday, April 3, 2017

#NaPaWriMo Day 3


Prompt: An Elegy

There was nothing quite as delightful
As the sight of you
Clad in a pristine white kurta-pyjama
Sitting cross legged on your bed
Reading The Telegraph.

After a first reading, and a second,
With half the cup of tea beside you gone cold,
You would arise,
Saunter across the room to the cabinet,
Retrieve a pair of bright orange Fiskars,
And return to the original position.

Then,
Sipping on the cold tea,
With much poise and intention,
The sifting process began -
Eliminating the fluff from the important
The frowns and nods declaring to yourself
Which ones stayed, which didn't.

This was followed by the cutting:
Carefully and surely,
Indifferent to the precious loss of knowledge to the next reader.

Next came the paper clips,
And the categorisation:
'Literature', 'Editorial', 'Politics', 'Cinema', 'Anything on the tea industry'...
Until the last article was done.

But this morning ritual was still not complete
Until the enormous blue folder was brought out.
Articles placed inside, subject-wise,
Making sure not to crumple or tear the edge.

The ones that remained - the leftovers -
Were not for your personal collection.
Diligently, you marked them with yellow Post-Its
To be given to friends and loved ones
Who could then enjoy what you had found.

A most endearing habit
For a daughter like me
Who took after you,
So easily.

When I now stumble upon an article or poem I like,
I save it for posterity,
For myself and others.
And think of you, dear father,
Thanking you silently,
For my inherited love for words.

Art by John Singer Sargent

1 comment:

  1. Oh, I really liked this one. You created a clear picture for the reader.

    ReplyDelete