by ASLAM MERCHANT
She came into the world, scrawny, messy
and wailing
Didn’t know how to react, as Dad was I failing?
Driven by norm I rejoiced as expected
Expectations learnt over years I hadn’t perfected
A father daughter bond is more special than anything
Books, movies, people, all said that same thing
Held her in my arms, for that electric jolt
But to my dismay, there was no such bolt
Lost in baby chores, diapers and tears
Days became months, months became years
Then one Monday i was to drop her at day care on my way to work
Absent minded that i am, forgot, drove on auto pilot to work
Reached office, while parking, then remembered
My baby of 15 months was home alone
Panic, fear, pity, anger, remorse
All flooded my mind simultaneously, with full force
Spun my car like crazy, tires screeching
My Accord flew forward, speed limits breaching
No road sign, no traffic mattered
Just my munchkin in mind, i drove on undeterred
Completing a 45 minute trip in twenty
Got back home to the front door, turned the key
She lay on my red recliner sobbing, no more tears left, such was the case
Tears dried up on the sweet angel face
I grabbed her and squeezed her tight to my heart
I was so moved, relieved and heart broken, i didn’t want to part
I smothered her with kisses till she broke into smile
Babbling nondescript sounds which sounded like happiness for a while
From that day till today
She has stolen my heart away
Everything they said about a dad daughter relation came more than true to a win
Sometimes things just take a little longer to kick in
Since then even the semblance of a tear forming in the corner of her eye
Makes any protest a losing proposition
Drives me to do what it takes
to make a smile return on the innocent face
Like having a cute boss at home
that i can play with, cherish, scold, but never win against