Kwit-Kee’s Azizi

By A. Sanjeev Kumar

In clouds of rumbling thunder

Amongst the lightning wonder

As a shadow, something fast glides

Nature paves way, the sky guides.

Is it

Someone who missed Noah’s Ark?

Willfully strong, is it anything dark?

The weather would freeze the bone

Yet, the destination is unknown.

If you permit

Here is yet another story of love

It is not a typical love story, I vow

Sparking light in the eyes of nature

That bloom in the heart of a creature.

Travel back a bit

Sunrise at the mouth of a river

Place filled with beetles and beaver

Magnificent point of stunning sunrise

None can resist avoiding the gaze

A perfect place for a prosperous habitat

Bubbling waves spread a floor mat

Flourished by eggs of nested Albatross

One was worried and heartbroken in pause

Brooding to be an unfortunate bad egg

Covered and incubated between the leg

An act of nature or a vicious betrayal

An egg fell to the nest’s custodial

That hit and sent the bad egg out of the catch

Safe and secure, replaced in the place to hatch.

Days, weeks and months-long passed

Hatchlings chirp is heard till the last

Every bird that built their nest

Protecting their eggs to be their chest

Takes alternate shifts to fly high far

In search of food for their little star

Amongst the hatchlings, one stood apart

Colour and chirp totally out of the chart

Abnormally disfigured from the remaining

Stood odd in all the basic training

So hungry to eat nothing unleft

To fill his stomach started mini theft

Though hated and liked by none

Believed would change, continuing fun.

Every hatchling in the rookery got feathers

Yet, this one was left with a skin of leathers

Already found weird, is even away casted

For several weeks this condition lasted

Until a day when a raven so vicious

Stood near the flock by all unsuspicious

Except for the eyes of the framed weirdo

Found in raven’s eye the hatchling, a cargo

One silent evening on a birds hunt

The raven entered with head down blunt

The hatchling mumbled a frightened cry

Failed, attempting to escape and fly.

Stood before the framed weirdo hatchling

So hungry and angry ready for tackling.

Chirping sounds that filled the shore

Scattering, unable to do any act

A deep-peal call heard from the core

Stopped the hatchlings from further react.

Silence!

A sudden attack on the vicious raven

Who came to attack the hatchings for dinner

Single strike, decapitating head shaven;

Raven eaten by the weirdo, the winner.

Unclaimed shock!

The chirping sound of hatchlings heard

Feasting, beheaded predator turned prey

Shook the hunt gone returning bird

Sight frightening at the end of the day.

Yet unanimously understands

The weirdo to be a God-sent saviour

Impressed and trusted by many

Scared and angered by its behaviour

Just cut the contact from all and any.

After the chirp, it was named Kwit-Kee

Liked and accepted to let it be

He started to grow among the rookery

To be strong yet, no feathers but leathery

The hero of the flock was treated so well

Provided food by all without any bell

Days, weeks and months had passed

To grow feathers Kwit-Kee was last

Due to some allergies by the food provided

Or attention that was avoided

Kwit-Kee remained the weirdo of all

Especially by its weird different call.

An unwritten law among the flock

To break the unhatched egg lock

By the other little hatchlings

No courtesy of being siblings

There was an egg left last

Unhatched, unnoticed from the past.

Got the attention of the remaining

Together gathered around it as training

To break it, feast it and quench it.

The unnoticed egg now has become noticed

What an unfortunate situation! surrounded,

An unhatched egg that has been grounded

It has become the last and final day

Hatchling that never saw its first day.

Only bird to protect, not it's own

But strongly feared Kwit-Kee, all known

Unexplainable concern to protect,

Unknown truth and love to detect,

Made him go rude and violent,

To bombard and threaten the environment.

Feared, distanced by all, none to love

Not even worried to find any turtledove

Yet, there was a life protected by him

A clam visited daily as a regular gym

Pep talks and everything shared with one

Who can never understand or anything done

This clam that was stuck on the shore open wide

Partially buried under the stand tied.

Alone, avoided by all out of fear

No one ready to close come near

Except for the clam, a secret chest

To pour his pain and grievance a nest

Heavy rain flooding over the river to the sea

Gushing everything on its way as pea

In the mid of the heavy flooded rain

Drops the tear of the Kwit-Kee in pain,

Falls in the mouth of his befriended clam

That makes it close shut with a slam

After a long time of unknown residence

The clam rushes along with the flood in existence

Chasing, running and swifting to catch his friend

Who was taken deep to sea leaving every bend!

Heart torn, on unexplainable reason

Partition of friend or loneliness or season

Nothing fits in a line or even a circle

Stands staring at the newly hatched turtle.

All of a sudden Kwit-Kee gets something,

That was forgotten in the event of flooding,

The little egg, rescued and placed for hatching,

Only the shells of the hatched eggs matching.

Blaming himself for his unforgivable negligence

That repeated in head without gap as resonance

Ran across the shore in search of an answer

About the whereabouts of the new cracker

Dead silence after a horrifying storm

Witnessing the hatchling Kwit-Kee stood dorm.

Early in sunrise, the shore that shines

Starts to cover in food searching signs

Jiggling, shuffling, Giggity Giggity GooGoo

Finding their offspring questioning who is who?

After the rush of gulping food

Calming everyone to an eased mood

Jumping marching towards the nest

Hatchling marched to take a good rest

Dismissal of the little marching theft

Stands alone idle, the only one left

Surprised Kwit-Kee moves towards

Without knowledge of trust affords.

Mackerels, pomfret and pieces of Salmons

Caught, skinned and served in love actions

Confused to witness the weird reactions

The awkward situation of wordless captions.

Everyday duty was to bring food

Fishes and Mollusca that tasted good

Tearing and skinning that appeared rude

Tasting the flesh changed its mood.

It was really hard to get her trust

To go deep inside into heart’s crust

For him to shed all his painful rust

That vanished and turned to dust.

After the arrival of a new life

Believed would become his wife

Wanted to give her a new name

‘Albatross’ was her family fame

Up and down the hills they go

Together on shore, the wall all know

All the flocks started to respect her

Which was not provided to her earlier

Priority she became, blinded by love

Unaware of facts, what’s under the glove

Taught everything gained through experience

Kwit-Kee taught her about her independence

Feared she was, of everything around

He made her stand firm on the ground

To stand, walk, run and catch fish

Taught her everything to fulfil her wish

Bold, she became, to stand for others

Old, all became before her feathers.

Yet, she did often minor mistakes

Points, corrects whatever she makes

The NEW knowledge brought along pride

To overlook Kwit-Kee she always tried

Never worried about how she had turned!

He was happy that she always learned

All he gave was happiness and joy

Which he never got as a little boy

Fate never rules one so different

Wasn’t ready for the actions of ignorant

Day by day, attitude of her changed

To console everything a feast was arranged

Jellyfish, sea cucumber and dangerous crabs

Seasoned with shrimp, kelp and venomous snakes

Spread on the hilltop ready for a feast

Unleashing his love stood towards the east

Slowly came along with her new friends

With whom, time, she recently spends

Careless of the hard work of Kwit-Kee

Ignorant of the fact, how she would be!

Without his guidance and love provided

Left alone, no one to be sided

Defamed the feast prepared by him

Boasted her new knowledge to swim

Controlling the anger that burst inside

Love is all that he continued to decide

Brings forth the feast to change the mood

Unaware of the fact that he is screwed

Many changes took place with her

Nothing was ready to get over

She started to distance from Kwit-Kee

All she stated was to be set free

So quick, she grew all feathers and beak

Reached soon the highest peak

Started to see Kwit-Kee weak

Branding him like others to be a freak

Started to search for chits and bits

Around her so picky she kicks

To find some easily floatable sticks

Starts carry in her mouth that fits

She wanted to get with her wings

All the fights she purposefully brings

Unknown of all the faulty cause

She revealed herself to be an ‘ALBATROSS’

In clouds of rumbling thunder

Amongst the lightning wonder

As a shadow, something fast glides

Nature paves way, the sky guides

Memories with her, flashes before his eyes

With drastic pain slowly inside he dies

Sarcastic laughter echoes in his mind

Flies in search of his own kind

In search of truth Kwit-Kee flies

To make everything he lived as lies

Goes in search of his own family

Filled with questions, he flies angrily

To gain his right

Flies whole night

To live a fight

With happy bright

Tired of flying for a long time

Goes by walk, a high climb

Reaches the high peak

Finds one, old with the same beak

Questions sprout in his mind

Asks everything to find

About his birthright

Stands there so silent quiet

He is not someone special

Simple cynical act of the devil

Rejected to be dead as an egg

Alone he stood on his leg

For these many days, he just survived

Not someone who has revived

Who should not be alive till now

His presence makes the old go wow!

No need to be confused anymore

Just need to stand on the floor

Nothing bad has happened

Has escaped his fate in rationed

He is never dust on a needle

But just a normal, regular Sea eagle

In this world, who is important?

Who decides life to be shortened?

Kwit-Kee feels so questioned

His life was totally threatened

Anguished, angered and hardened

Not ready to be pardoned

He flies back to his birthplace

To find his rights and trace

He sees his ‘Albatross’ love

Moves swiftly for a shove

Too late the Albatross has grown

So easily has usurped his throne

She can fly so high in the sky

Swim long until she can die

No more guidance needed to live

So strong, she has become like Clive

Thrown out of the shore

Kwit-Kee feels, to be no more

Then there came a dive day

Where all the Albatross use to play

Dive inside the sea, so deep

In the dark inside, a hope of leap

Find something precious and delicious

For everyone on shore to witness

An act of God or an unknown devil

The Albatross finds something special

So shiny but shut so tight

Tries to break open with a fight

Kwit-Kee in surprise to see the object

Finds it to be his friend in prospect

Asks politely to give it to him

But insults back, “get it in a swim”

Again and again, he tries and explains

It’s his only friend’s remains.

Not ready to understand what he says

Starts to attack, stating to be a disgrace

Joined by the other vicious birds

Who was not able to cross his words

Vengeance, treachery and backstabbing he faced

Burst out to clear all, where he must be placed

Swift, he grabbed his old friend clam

Jumps into the natural sea dam

Insulted, the Albatross follows back

But he begs her to lose his track

Ego touched and she follows back

So he dives deep into the sea crack

Determined to prove him wrong

She was ignorant that he is strong

Hits him hard inside the water

Even ready, for him to be slaughter

To avoid the situation he flies so high

Glides between the raining sky

Followed back by his Albatross

Badly wanted to prove who is the boss!

Lightning strikes here and there

Which is hard for one of the pair

Albatross, lightning hit, falls down

Kwit-Kee wasn’t ready to let her drown

Dives, down again so fast from high

Drops her on the shore, a final goodbye.

Unable and unknown where to go

He opened his wings and gave a blow

Flew high above the sky

Even above the clouds so high

So clear and calm without any mess

His heart hardened with a lot of stress

He reached the high hill of the old

Started to live a life of gold

Often he goes to glimpse her

Understand him, she would do never

An unique black pearl popped out of crime

That would weigh more than a gram anyways

A voice questioned, "after all this time?"

Kwit-Kee with tears, replied, "ALWAYS".

By A. Sanjeev Kumar