I was chagrined with my father

For not letting me study more,

So put off was I with his attitude,

I didn’t speak to him as before.

This tiff continued for years, despite

His many efforts for appeasement,

He’d preferred my marriage than career,

There was no end to my resentment

For a long time I held him guilty

Though laughed it off but he was sad,

I was his most favorite daughter,

Losing me, virtually, he felt real bad

One day my youngest baby brother

Blamed me for spoiling his career,

Jolted me out of my comfort zone,

Why such an accusation, it wasn’t clear.

His angry tone was so hurtful,

I asked him for an explanation,

He gave me some instances, which

Had totally wrong interpretations.

In such a way he put me in the dock,

I found myself quite indefensible,

He was being unfair and one-sided,

He refused to be just reasonable

All of a sudden this fact struck me

My father, too, was not at all guilty,

Whatever he did was his conviction,

He married me off, performing duty

An awakening to his innocence,

Constantly pricks my conscience.

                                  ~Sudha Dixit

                                       Bangalore, India