Dayee-Papayee (Telugu Original “Dayee-Papayee” by Dr K.Geeta)

Dayee-Papayee

                       English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Dayee-Papayee” by

Dr K.Geeta

Both of them
Live in their world as if they have just emerged
Like a baby garden lizard clutches the trunk of a tree
That kid always hangs on Dayee
For baby Dayee is the world
For Dayee baby is life
He suddenly hugs the baby
And showers kisses
Like standing under a raining flower tree
Father found in rapturous joy of spree

That child seems not born from mother’s womb
But have burst open from Dad’s abdomen
She does not drink milk or water
Unless her father holds it for her

This personified man of silence
Bears with baby every sweet nonsense
Runs his palm on baby’s head
bends his head diagonal
Posing everything understood
Listening to the child’s jabbers

The one who never cared to look back
When going office
Or before closing door
Rams back and lost in rapt staring at his baby

Not to disturb his sleeping baby on heart
He naps into a folding chair
Whenever Baby calls him “Dayee”
He hurries back with “Amma Papayee”
Like a raging river that lifts up those streamlets
When Papayee is happily leaning on father’s shoulder
Becomes like a quieter sleeping brook shrouded the waves in river

When Papayee has fever
The paleness in Dad’s face seen as if withered in fasting
The sorrow splits in the eyes are like
The cracks on ground under scorching sun
Until the child is cured
As if she understood the pain in his voice
Papayee hugs dad’s shoulders suddenly
and sucks his ears consolingly

As if the child’s pain is like his father’s life
He mumbles to himself and hugs the child and prays
When cured and regained spirits
There the cheers everywhere
Hide and seeks and
Elephant rides
As if everything they invented
Giggles prevail and the joy of both
Makes the whole house shine rainbows
Stars turned into birds flutter and perch in house in rows

As if the baby’s eyes lit up on Daddy’s lips
The abundant love of a father tangent and fillip
To sprout in the heart only two words
Send echoes in the house
Dayee- Papayee

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