We all get bugged by the bee of telling a lie
Entwined in the web start practising
to deceive and turn to be sly.
Lying starts in childhood with a saga
When we begin reciting the nursery rhyme - Johny Johny yes papa
Though recited for fun, telling a lie about small things - a concern,
When kids compulsively lie and steal, parents ought to be stern
Here is a tale of my niece's little daughter,
Who often used to sneak
into the room of her grandparents,
cleared off chocolates lying in stock,
when questioned feigned ignorance
One day my niece confronted her
for this ethical aberration
Reasoning with her - the truth always
accepted with appreciation
My niece told the little one -
"Lies run sprints but the truth runs marathons"
"Liars get confused about truth,
believe the added lies to be true in cohesion"
The pretty girl realized -
the truth is a beautiful trait
Telling lies is a habit, hurts many,
must be discarded outright,
Mom's coaxing, counselling boosted the confidence of the girl
Embarrassed, she promised never
to tell lies as mom stroked her soft curls
Yes, mom "I stole the chocolates but would never do the same" is what she confessed,
embraced my niece the scolding of her's
germinated within the little kid to stick to good manners.
© Ritu Kamra Kumar
Brief Bio Note
I am Dr Ritu Kamra Kumar working as Head of Department (Associate Professor) in Post Graduate Department of English, Mukand Lal National College, Yamunanagar, Haryana, India An avid writer, poet and an academic, I have contributed more than 250 write ups, Middles, articles and poems in National newspapers such as The Tribune, The Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald, Daily World, Daily Post and magazines like Woman's Era and coffee table books. Around 30 research papers of mine have been published in national and international research journals and anthologies. I have delivered many extension lectures in colleges, guided M.Phil students for their dissertation. My writings range from social subtleties to women's world and contemporary complexities. My area of interest is Feminism, Gender Studies and Post Colonial Studies. I have authored four books-
Configurational Coordinates of Woman's Space in Select Novels of Shashi Deshpande
The Priceless Petals (A Collection of Middle and Essays)
The Strokes of Solitude (A Collection of Middles & Essays)
Kalp Vriksh: Seth Jai Parkesh's Journey of Compassion, Passion and Philanthropy (A Coffee Table Book).
An anthology of poems is under publication.
I am also associated with a few poetry groups. Since I teach PG students most of my time is spent with students and academic activities. But creative writing is my passion so whenever I get time, I put my thoughts on the paper and feel writing is therapeutic as well as delightful.