In His Eyes !

"Through trials vast and burdens deep,
In quiet hours when shadows creep,
When hope did falter, worn and few,
It was you who saw me true.

I felt the warmth of a father's touch,
A gentle hand that meant so much.
But in a blink, my world was torn,
And in the dark, I was reborn.

Now left alone in this harsh world wide,
I search for love, with none to guide.
Through every storm, I yearn to see,
A glimpse of the care that once was with me."

This is the story, once I read in those eyes,
When I met a soul who was once alive.
And in those tears, I came to know,
My father's grief for 'the father' he let go.

Then as I watched, his gaze turned cold,
He tried to hide the pain untold.
But beneath the mask, the tears did fall,
And he stood strong, though broken by it all.

He is my father, and he had one too,
I saw a 'son' - a son in him too,
He loved him a lot, as I love him so,
But he had to be strong, to teach me to grow.

- Ayaan

Quite confusing ! Isn't it ? Not sure whether it struck or not, In this attempt I've tried to reveal a child's emotional journey as he gradually discovers the layers of grief, love, and strength within his father, ultimately realizing how the generational wounds of loss have shaped the man his father is today—a man defined by quiet resilience, unspoken pain, and a deep, enduring strength that he carries with him, despite the scars that remain.

There are three generations at play here: I've tried to depict the poet, his father, and his grandfather. While the poet’s father is still present, he carries the weight of having witnessed the loss of his own father (the poet’s grandfather). The first three stanzas are not the poet's own feelings, but rather the 'hidden thoughts' of his father, emotions the poet stumbles upon when he 'accidentally' discovers his father in a rare moment of fragility—quietly weeping for the father he lost in his early childhood. It is in this tender, vulnerable moment that the poet uncovers the depth of his father's grief, a sorrow that has quietly shaped him throughout his life.

As the poet watches his father in this fragile state, he begins to understand the depth of this loss in such an early age has carried with him all his life. The grief his father once felt as a young boy, losing his own father, still lingers in his heart, quietly shaping his existence. The poet realizes that his father's world had been torn apart in an instant, the warmth of a father’s touch replaced by an absence that left him to navigate life alone. In the darkness of that early loss, his father had to rebuild himself, and though he became strong and carried on, there was always a yearning for the love and care he once knew.

Now, in his adolescent life, the poet sees the echoes of that loss reflected in his father’s eyes, a man who had to become the pillar of strength for others while still carrying the scars of his own childhood grief. The poet feels the weight of that unspoken sorrow and the strength his father showed, even in moments of unseen pain. 

As he gazes into his father’s eyes, the poet understands that the love and care his father gave him was not just the love of a parent, but a love tempered by years of loss and longing. And in this quiet discovery, the poet realizes that his father had once been a son, just as he is now—a son whose heart still carries the ache of a love that was lost far too soon.

"I long to be the warmth you seek,
But know I can't replace the love you keep."

Why the title is "In His Eyes"? Well, I’ll leave that for you to discover.

Thanks,
Ayaan

(Dedicated to 'The' Grandfather)

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