The Importance Of Uncles In A Family

This poem is dedicated to “Ashok Mama”, one of my closest relatives. Here is the content:

They say family is everything

Well, it is as true

As the Sun rising in the East

And setting in the West

But what exactly is family?

The reason why I pose this question

Is that, when people say “family”

They usually mean blood relations

Parents, grandparents, siblings

Children and grandchildren

And of course, spouses

However, in my opinion

Cousins are equally important

As are uncles and aunts

Well, today I will talk about an uncle of mine

Who is as dear to me

As Poonguzhali is to Sendhan Amudhan

Known affectionately as “Ashok Mama”

He resembles me in personality

As much as I resemble my Dad in looks

So much so, that our names get interchanged

More frequently than I write poems nowadays

Which is saying something!

Jokes apart, Ashok Mama is absolute gold

As far as his character is concerned

Gentle to the core, the chances of him getting angry

Are even less than that of South Africa winning a global cricket tournament!!

Though it must be said

That his voice is loud enough

To wake even the soundest sleeper

When it comes to talking

Mama is simply a legend

The variety of topics on which he can give his two cents

Has to be seen in order to be believed

Imagine you are travelling in a train

From Mumbai to Chennai

And happen to start a conversation with Mama

By the time it ultimately ends

The train would have already reached Chennai!!

If people had to write exams

On cricket, politics, astrology and Agatha Christie murder mysteries

Mama would have topped the class

In each and every subject

With the same frightening ease

In which Novak Djokovic wins grand slams nowadays!!

There may be millions of motivational experts

However, when it comes to giving truly valuable advice

Especially as far as work is concerned

Mama beats all of them by a country mile

There are a lot more things I can say about Ashok Mama

However, as my grandfather would probably say

After reading this gargantuan poem

“There is a limit to everything”