The shade 

You are the tree
enormous
robust green,
strong and confident
flourishing against
odds of life
Your wings cover
an immense breadth
of space,
and all of me..
Your persona
all engrossing,
magnificent

 

And I..
your subtle shadow
of no such significance
dwell beneath,
enchained..
while you always
stand your ground,
I am tossed around
while you stay faithful
to your roots
I am in search of
genesis, my whereabouts

 

And I..
under your brilliance,
feel less than
what I am meant to be
This triviality too colossal
to contain
An ominous vestige,
I am taken for granted
walked all over, then ignored
This pain is too intense
to retain
This agony is mine alone
to disown

 

And I..
wish, you were
the shadow for a day
and I, the tree..
Own the
pathos of my life
and feel the chains
of an enslaving bondage
get savvy of co-existence
And understand
how truly incomplete
a tree is, without
its true-blue shade
 

                by Vasanta Athilat