Another Letter from Another Father to Another Son

"Another Letter from Another Father to Another Son" is an English poem by the Indian poet Mathew John. The poem was a surprise winner of the first prize[1] in the All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2013.

Excerpts from the poem
Sonny, it is not my wish to advise you
Though my tongue yearns to be advisor to the king.
Sonny, it is not my wish to advise you
Though this may end up as another piece of advice
In another letter from another father to another son.
*******
For, it took years for my father's sermons
To traverse the miles between my ears and my brain
And I learnt about most things
After enough follies had been past.
Let me tell you a single thing
The way to go, seems to me
From life to the book
And not the other way around.
*******
So, let life teach you before your father's words
And let life teach you to outgrow
The interesting stories that other people tell.
For, nobody is really very sure.
Earlier they used to tell
Never look beyond the wall
Now, they have built
A ladder for you to climb.
******
But, nobody is really very sure
About the wall, forget the ladder.
Very few boxes have been opened, my son
It is still an interesting world out there.
So, let me not offer you
A book, a window, a jigsaw puzzle or my reading glasses
Let me give you just these –
My silence and my smile.

See also

Notes
  1. "Award Winners - All India Poetry Competition 2013". Archived from the original on 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
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