Kids Corner

Columnists

The Pride of the Father

A Poem by MICHELE GIBSON

 

 

It is hard to know the mind of any martyr
The conviction that makes the path irrevocable
Does pride push one on the greater road to glory?
Or selflessness support the sacrifice?
*
Skills in weaponry and horsemanship
Keen observation and an agile frame,
Will further any hero in his cause
But still, the intrinsic motivation tips the scale
*
Who can say why Ajit Singh responded
When the Moghul messenger harangued the youth
But he sprang to his father's own defence
And warned the messenger to mind his brow
And held the army off by only cunning at the river Sarsa
When they chose to abandon Anandpur
*
Even at Chamkaur as the rogue army closed its grip
And battalion after battalion was launched out to fight the foe
The gate was breached but there they stood to
Nonetheless cut any Moghul down as they themselves fell
*
Until Ajit approached his father
And begged in earnest piety
To take his turn with the others at the gate,
Assured the Guru that he knew his task
And understood the price, yet desired to paralyze them
*
With many weapons and a sure technique
He did his best to damage and defend
But ultimately fell with lance lodged in his side
And here the glory or the sacrifice?
Here in measure equal to the spirit of the man,
Is the anguish of the father
*
And then without a second lost or
Any heartfelt hesitation, Jujhar jumps to aid
The next battalion to the gate
And follow in his brother's mastery and selfless service,
To affront the mogul army with their very confidence
And protect their way of life, but more importantly the precious Guru
And here again the sacrifice!
The Guru, knowing he will never see his sons again and
Knowing one has suffered an empowered misery
Allows himself to look one last time upon his child
And consents to let him leave?
I think not pride, but selflessness
Allows the father to endure this agony.

 

July 27, 2010

Conversation about this article

1: Kirpal Singh (Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.A.), July 27, 2010, 1:34 PM.

Thanks, Michele! Marvellous poem! I wish I knew how to write as well as you do to depict Sikh history so eloquently!

2: Baljeet (Amritsar, Punjab), July 27, 2010, 2:05 PM.

Another chapter of our history, so beautifully captured by your verses! I do hope you're going to publish a collection of your poems in book form. Soon. Can't wait till the day ...

3: Mukhtiar Singh (Leeds, United Kingdom), July 27, 2010, 3:41 PM.

Never read Sikh history like this. You bring it alive. Thanks!

4: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 27, 2010, 6:13 PM.

Michele, you are blessed and so are we to have you. Keep igniting, to let us bask in that warm glow, and share your over-flowing love. You are a kindred spirit soaring high and that is Guru's blessings.

Comment on "The Pride of the Father"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.