तिम्रो पहिलो जन्मदिन

One winter, one monsoon,
one spring, and one season of frost —
a love that fits inside one tiny heart,
a cry in that piercing little voice
that no one but Mother and Father can decode,
the beaming faces of Grandpa and Grandma,
Hajuri and Sani’s darling boy,
the affection of Bada and Badi, Kaka and Kaki,
of Mamas and Phupus,
and Alexa’s soft, unhurried music.

Shall I tell you the truth?
With the fresh wonder of your baby play,
innocent yourself, you have already
melted everyone else completely.
But —
the show, my little one, has only just begun.
Like the fevers the turning seasons bring,
carrying a wave of joy that spreads farther still,
you must carry this world forward;
you have so much more living to do.

You, in your innocent sleep,
go on waking us all.
Today I set down these few words
so that someday, when your mind has grown to understand them,
you will break into a quiet smile.
This day that completes one full year —
a year of countless leelas that passed like a single instant —
today is your first birthday.