Bhai

Bhai

(Elder brother)

P K Routray

Touching now the age of sixty six,

agrieved deeply by an occurrence when I was six

I intend to express it to share my grief over the years

since my childhood my heart has been bleeding with tears.

I had next to me from my mother’s womb a younger brother

aged then around two and half a year

always running behind me calling me “Bhai” “Bhai”

in his babbling voice I remember now with pain and sigh.

By the time he could manage to speak,

“Bou” and “Bhai”  he called with voice stammered and weak.

I remember enjoying his address to me with sense of pride

vowing and dreaming to bring him up being his mentor and guide.

With trembling legs he used to walk slipping from his holder’s arm,

                               the scene of mother running after him to catch was a sight of charm.

For a celebration in mother’s parental village

with mother we went there with princely privilege.

In India villages have ponds to store water to reuse

for breeding fish and many other uses the villagers may choose.

My mother’s parental village had also a pond with deep clean water,

villagers used to take bath and swim for their pleasure when in leisure.

My darling brother had one day vanished from the crowded family celebration

to play in the water like perhaps elders from where he did not return.

I had seen him sleeping motionless lying by the side of my crying mother

my favorite sound of “Bhai” from his mouth vanished forever.

The scene and my dream of guiding him to grow

lay in heart of my hearts which peeps strongly now.

I feel shocked and grieved at same tender heart of six

which cannot be consoled by this man now even at the age of sixty-six.

I dream now if he would have been alive thanks to His blessing

his sweet voices and deeds to me as “ Bhai”, I would not have been missing.

(In my mother tongue Odia mother is addressed as “Bou” and elder brother is addressed as “Bhai”)

There is no photo of my brother but he may be similar to the photo pasted.