Life's First Lesson

But, why?
You ask me,
Out of the blue-
And I sit back,
Framing an answer,
Acceptable.

It could be this,
Or even that-
I quip,
Helpless,
Sighing defeat.

Your eyes open wide,
In sheer awe.
Yet, an all-knowing smile
Flashes by.
Or a mirage,
Was it?

The age old wisdom
Of understanding
One's shortcomings,
And even more-
In accepting them,
With unquestioning faith,
And a shrug-

Character.
(It never rusts!)

Smiling,
I pull my little one over,
Onto my lap-
And all the questions
Forgotten-
Together,
We learnt
Our life's first lesson-

Imperfection.
(It never dies!)