The Dave household was bustling with activity

Their first born was a baby girl, very pretty

Chubby she looked, Bhavna was in the pink of her health

All around were smiles, to family she would bring wealth!

Brought up she was with love and care 

Her needs were all fulfilled, her illness  raised a scare

She was quick to crawl, stand and walk

At two, a few attempts and then she began to talk

When she was three, tragedy struck

Bhavna was kidnapped, family’s bad luck

A woman unknown took the baby away

Futile were all searches, she was lost for ever that May

In a small town adjoining, a girl was sold to a beggar

Like a doll she was, but wouldn’t stop crying with efforts, what-so-ever

Her name was now Bittu, a pale shadow of Bhavna

Her clothes were torn, she wore a dirty pajama

Tears spoilt her face, which flowed profusely 

For dear and near ones, her eyes searched acutely

Used to nutritious food, lived now on crumbs 

Glow from the cheeks was gone, she was living in slums

She was five now, getting used to her life in squalor

Her face had the smile again, gone was the constant whimper

Happy she was to help her ‘mother’ earn 

She got some yummy lollipops in return

Then occurred another ‘tragedy’ one day

Her ‘mother’ failed to get up on a Monday

What had happened, Bittu could not comprehend 

She cried, her hunger pangs had no end

But whom He loves, God takes care

She was taken by a kind couple under their welfare

Rich they were and took great care of her

From Bittu, her name changed to Aster

With good food and clothes pretty

And over her head, a roof in a big city

Her chubbiness recovered, cheeks turned pink again

An apple of everyone’s eyes she was, Amen! 

Soon it was school time where she bloomed

And climbed through the classes in flying colours never presumed

Her guardians could not hide their glee over her progress

School finished, at the college she also had success

As time flew, she soon became a graduate

Aster was now a doctor and at practice she was great

It was now time for her to know her history

Her foster parents decided to apprise her of her life story

Initially shocked to learn all the twists during her lifetime

But to trace her real parents she made up her mind in quick time

She made enquiries from what she was told and so

Could trace, with great difficulty, the advert in the papers 22 years ago

The papers revealed all information, she got their address

Atlast she was united with her family one day, removed their stress

Their hearts had broken from losing her in childhood

Delighted they were now but didn’t know where they stood

Her parents were in a very bad shape

Lived from hand to mouth, time now for a reshape

Moved they were to her foster parents’ house, big and wide

From Aster she became Bhavna again, with pride.

…. . A Poem by Rashid Hamza