Relationship – 1

Talking about a relationship,
Just look at the tree and the bird.

The tree does not know
Whether the bird will alight on him
Or just hover there for a while
And fly away.
If she alights, he does not know,
How long shall she rest
On which of his branches

Will she make a nest there?
Or just sleep with her face buried
In his leaves?
He does not know either
Whether the color of her wings
And his leaves are the same.

Why does she come?
Why does she fly away?
Why does she chirp unabashed?
Why does she turn mum?
He does not know.

Why does she shiver?
What is she afraid of?
Why does she fill him up with fearless symphony?
Why does she peck on his fruits?
Why does she get inside his spirits?
He does not know.

Where will she be
If he is uprooted tomorrow?
He does not know.

Unique is the relation
Of the tree with the bird
Who he thinks is his own
And in her mirrors
Knows himself again,
All over again.

Translated from a Hindi poem by Sri Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena