In the arms of a child

Somebody's Child, though I wish, she would have been mine.

She yields as she lets me lift her up and hold her close.

Resting her cherubic face on my comforting shoulders,

She whispers sweet nothings into my eager ears.

The days troubles and tiredness vanish away,

And all those around me seem to melt away in a blur.

She has me mesmerized with those wide untamed eyes

While we hand in hand criscross the room
She said her goodbye distracted, as I kissed her cheek,

And I was left wondering whether it was her in my arms

Or was I consoled in the arms of a Child.

Ella!

Kids can say & do the darnest things with innocence carved on their faces. Sometimes they can drive you nuts. But more often than not, they warm your heart. Last Friday I had gone to help out at a fund rasing campaign for a choir group travelling to Shillong. Towards the end as I was saying my byes to people who were leaving. I saw little Ella, all of 6 yrs I think and a darling of a girl (I had first met her, her parents Ashwin, Samantha & her sister Petra by chance on her birthday about a month earlier). I asked her to come over, which to my surprise she did. I gave her a hug & she coyly looked at me thereafter. I launched into a fictional sob story about how no girl ever liked me and all and I told that she was the cutest thing I had seen in a long time and I really liked her. I said a few other things & I planted a goodbye kiss on her cheek as her parents were about to leave. She came out of my arms, while I was sitting there on the stairs, she looked me with such innocence & love in her eyes & planted a kiss on my cheek in turn. For the life of me I must say I was so touched by the gesture. What amazed me was that this girl at such an young age could be sensitive to other people and the willingness to reach out & express it with such unrestrained innocence was beautiful. At that moment I realized that she had made my day and realized what true beauty is. I said a prayer for her that night. That she will love and be loved every day for the rest of her life. For a related article click here.