The Cello That Played Tragic Notes

He sat on a granite stone In the plantain grove Motionless, unaware Of the passage of time Shadows lengthened And shrank around He was just about eight Enamored by a tiny sunbird Endeavoring at her nest At the tip of a branch That hung over the bamboo fence A vigilant mate helped her Together they brought Material for the nest Feathers, twigs, leaves, cotton wisps Singing in joy as they passed He sat like an idol Unmindful of hunger Thirst, numbness of limbs Lest the birds were disturbed If he moved or even batted his lashes His parents had to drag him home For lunch and breakfast He would rush back to the stone Gulping just a few mouthfuls The nest had him swallowed full The birds finished their build Their home was done The boy sat enchanted Marveling at the avian abode He couldn’t suppress his joy With his friends he shared The secret of his glee Pointing at the nest Swaying in the wind With the lady-bird perched on it Her long beak busy Finishing final details Early next morn He hurried to the grove Without even pausing to brush his teeth His heart broke The nest was there no more His friends had slashed the branch The dream-house of the birds lay On the ground infested by ants Beside it was an unbroken egg Dotted purple all over the shell The boy broke down in anguish His cheeks ran down flooded streams Sat sobbing waiting For the parent birds to descend And save their tiny woebegone It was soon noon and hot He heard the birds wail aloft But alas none ventured Down to nurse the egg on the ground He picked that hapless egg Placed it on the red velvet Of his mom’s old jewel casket Hoping one day it would hatch A baby bird would emerge And coo in a joy upsurge Days and weeks passed His dreams shriveled As the egg dried and shrank Broke open to expose Remnants of an unsung song The boy grew up to be a man Who carried an unhatched egg Of pain and song deep in the velvet Of his bleeding heart Wandered the world and wept At wars, calamities, strifes Wherever humanity stank Perhaps he was born in an airy sign Homed by a tearful moon To carry a throbbing avian heart Life-long like a high-strung cello That played only tragic notes Wail of unborn embryos Stranded human souls