By Ashok Suri

An Anguished Father Happy he was To be the rock, Out of which flowed Streams of their delight. Now that age is no more on his side, At home, he is lavishly criticized. His jokes are no longer funny, His talks are considered silly and despised. Slowly, he returns home, With his head bent down Pondering his own plight -- No wonder, With thankless kids around, He feels eternally exiled. Perhaps what The Bard* said was right: “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is To have a thankless child!”
*The Bard: William Shakespeare. The quoted lines are from King Lear
Mr. Ashok Suri retired from Revenue Service, and is settled with his family in Mumbai. He loves to read and sometimes write. He tries to convey in simple words what he wants to say.