An ode to my oldman

I remember the first time I looked at you,

you were an acquaintance quite anew.

A tad too old to skip and play around,

a tad too young to be quiet sans a sound.

Don't make so much noise;

Oh! please do put back your toys;

lean not against the wall

at home, don't play the ball;

come, come, listen to the news

in the future, it would be of some use;

exercise every part from toe to head

that alone would guarantee a healthy future ahead.

Geez!Those were your advices tested and tried

but I quite never did take it in the right stride,

past are the days of my ignorant childhood

and now realization has hit hard, like it should.

The dormant values you had in me, imbibe

did truly help in life's battles, to survive.

All these years have been a concoction of feelings.

A laughter here and an anger there,

a spectrum of emotions I got to wear.

Looking back I feel a pang of rue

for having initially failed to realize the true you;

took a while to bar all that strict demeanor

and identify that you are a man like no other;

Your steady, brisk walk,

a clear, practical talk,

it is as if you mock,

me, with your death and I can't hide my shock.

Those strolls on the beach;

the values that you would preach,

along with narration of your life's incident

and listening to it for the nth time, its like the first time I would pretend.

I miss you my friend.

I believed you would break the life-death trend

and stay with me till my end.

But you have chosen to leave me, to help me grow,

to be matured and accept life's flow.

You have molded me, a time too many,

as you did with my docile granny;

wishing you two a happy togetherness in heaven

plus for all those lives to come, in the cycle of seven.