On the Path of Truth: A Poem by Rupali Mistry

It was a very simple question,
“Who ate the cookies from the jar?”
that Mother asked her children.
Three pairs of eyes looked at her
thinking about the repercussions –
the rebuke, the beating with the ruler.
The possibilities scared all of them.
Silence and fear filled the atmosphere
broken by Mother’s question again.
Till the little culprit stepped forward
and with a tremble, said, “I ate them,”
while the others thought, “He’s dead!”
Then, Mother did the most unexpected.
She smiled and hugged him, and said,
“As you spoke the truth, you are forgiven.”
What the children learned that day was –
The path of truth may be frightening,
but it is the right one to be on…always.