Happy 75th birthday Papa! Written in honor of my parents’ life journey on this special occasion.
***********************************************************************
A little seedling from the small Mansa gao
Stepped boldly into the big city of ‘dabad
with scholarships and much hard work grew there he did
And soon enough bumped into a fiesty four-eyed seedling he did
Of course,
Love at first seedling it was.
Some comedy of errors and meddles too
Led to a happy unison of the two
Together the two seedlings some storms endured.
Yet held tight to their values they did for sure
And cared for other seedlings in their garden demure
They grew some and worked much
And soon with mustered courage and passports too
Into the African terrains they flew
Faced with the unknown and not any one they knew
But these seedlings were the most resilient that ever came
Making friends in strange lands that friends for life became
Exploring waterfalls and finding mangos
The seedlings knew how to find joys in all things mangos
And chai on swings and beaches too
Stepped boldly into the big city of ‘dabad
with scholarships and much hard work grew there he did
And soon enough bumped into a fiesty four-eyed seedling he did
Of course,
Love at first seedling it was.
Some comedy of errors and meddles too
Led to a happy unison of the two
Together the two seedlings some storms endured.
Yet held tight to their values they did for sure
And cared for other seedlings in their garden demure
They grew some and worked much
And soon with mustered courage and passports too
Into the African terrains they flew
Faced with the unknown and not any one they knew
But these seedlings were the most resilient that ever came
Making friends in strange lands that friends for life became
Exploring waterfalls and finding mangos
The seedlings knew how to find joys in all things mangos
And chai on swings and beaches too
Now the seedlings were becoming roots anew
That gave rise to three other of their own
Yet forget they did not their seedlings back home
We grow here and we water them too
Was their motto true and true
And grew they did
And Frequent flyers they became
From safaris and pyramids to mountains and lakes
So many worldly corners they traipsed
Yet these fearless Trotters of the globe
Remained rooted in their goodness mode
Even when that wasn’t the easiest road to take
Giveup they never did partake
While for others amassing things went untamed
Simplicity is a way of life the seedlings maintained
Meaning, rich experiences and togetherness they proclaimed
And joyous was their daily mantra ordained
The best childhoods their own seedlings did have
Always made to feel safe and protected and loved
Gave them courage to pursue their own dreams and plans
In unknown lands
Out into the world they went
Rich experiences to gain and mistakes to be made
But Uncoerced and with wings of their own remade
Yet forget they did not their seedlings back home
We grow here and we water them too
Was their motto true and true
And grew they did
And Frequent flyers they became
From safaris and pyramids to mountains and lakes
So many worldly corners they traipsed
Yet these fearless Trotters of the globe
Remained rooted in their goodness mode
Even when that wasn’t the easiest road to take
Giveup they never did partake
While for others amassing things went untamed
Simplicity is a way of life the seedlings maintained
Meaning, rich experiences and togetherness they proclaimed
And joyous was their daily mantra ordained
The best childhoods their own seedlings did have
Always made to feel safe and protected and loved
Gave them courage to pursue their own dreams and plans
In unknown lands
Out into the world they went
Rich experiences to gain and mistakes to be made
But Uncoerced and with wings of their own remade
Now the seedling from the little Mansa gao
And his four-eyed partner in crime
Were full grown roots
And suddenly faced with big changes to behold
Saying goodbye to their beloved home in the Coast of Gold.
Yet once again they bravely set forth
hitherto
With positive outlooks they got reacquainted with the City of their youth anew
And his four-eyed partner in crime
Were full grown roots
And suddenly faced with big changes to behold
Saying goodbye to their beloved home in the Coast of Gold.
Yet once again they bravely set forth
hitherto
With positive outlooks they got reacquainted with the City of their youth anew
Now these roots have given rise to many branches
Don’t forget it wasn’t just their three that became five
but the many more that they watered as their own
These branches are growing in different directions for sure
Some fumbling or stumbling
Many flourishing or frolicking
But in their hearts all these branches do
Carry with them the light of their strong roots two
That inspire them to weather any storms that ensue
And keep them striving towards the Sun
Through and through
Don’t forget it wasn’t just their three that became five
but the many more that they watered as their own
These branches are growing in different directions for sure
Some fumbling or stumbling
Many flourishing or frolicking
But in their hearts all these branches do
Carry with them the light of their strong roots two
That inspire them to weather any storms that ensue
And keep them striving towards the Sun
Through and through
And now
A truly inspirational 75 year life story
Of the seedling from Mansa gao
And his four-eyed pari
Who Grew with all their might
a truly blessed family tree
Made of love
And of light
Continues on
this journey of life
With Many More adventures to unfold
And wisdom to be told.
——
A truly inspirational 75 year life story
Of the seedling from Mansa gao
And his four-eyed pari
Who Grew with all their might
a truly blessed family tree
Made of love
And of light
Continues on
this journey of life
With Many More adventures to unfold
And wisdom to be told.
——
