From Cradle to Cage

Syed Rafiuddin
I came with nothing, soft and small,
No debts to rise, no fear to fall.
 The world was mine in gentle ways,
Wrapped in love, in golden days.

Milk was treasure, toys were kings,
Dreams were light on fragile wings.
 No clocks to chase, no bills to pay,
Just endless night and open day.

I laughed, I cried, I ran so free,
The sky felt close, it danced with me.
Each broken step, each childish stage,
Was caught in love, not locked in cage.

Then youth arrived with burning flame,
Wild hopes chasing whispered fame.
I touched the stars, I mocked the night,
Still sheltered in my parents’ light.

At twenty-five, the world grew tall,
Freedom knocked, but built a wall.
Now earn, now spend, now rise, now bend,
Begin the race that has no end.

Repay the roots that made me stand,
Work till sweat defines the hand.
Chase a ring, a promised life,
Carry dreams of child and wife.

Save for days you cannot see,
Trade your youth for security.
Once I flew with open heart—
Now I live where cages start.