At the beginning he was a dilettante

He learnt everything from his parents

The society and books contributed some

Gradually, I flourished within him.

Gingerly he grew up

But with time I became stagnant

The world around him seemed different

Different from what he learnt.

He graduated, he got a job and started making compromises

Now I'm not stagnant , decaying day by day

Things he learnt seemed meaningless

And I? just a lesson meant to be ignored.

Time has come when he is counting his days

All kinds of efforts to earn seemed absurd

Self evaluation crept in and regrets piled up

And I was at the pinnacle.

He cursed his fate and circumstances he faced

I gazed intently into his past

And found myself in one corner asking to negotiate

But I stood tall at last.