The endless battle

Mom asked her to pray to Him,

She asked Mom who and why?

Mom said He will be your saviour,

You're always under His eye.

She asked Mom for proof He lived,
Because Him she never saw,
But Mom said faith she should have,
Skepticism her only flaw.

Dad asked her to wear a dress,

So much longer than she liked,

It covered her arms and midriff too,

She hated and disliked.

She said it wasn't in fashion,
Not the style she adhered,
He said it wasn't about fashion,
T'was her safety he feared.

She wanted a new little crop-top
Nice, sexy and short
But only a blouse that short was allowed,
Traditional's all she could sport

They told her not to talk to this guy,

He could be a potential threat,

To her peace, sanity and innocence,

About him and her they fret.

She said "It's just a date and nothing else"
They said there's no such thing as a date,
A single slip or mistake could,
Completely ruin her fate.

She wanted to get a tattoo done,

Or have her hair colored red,

When she mentioned these to them,

They stared at her in dread.

"Stay natural" they said to her,
Nature gave you beauty,
And she complied silently,
Complying being her duty.

She wanted to do a part time job,

And earn and fend for herself,

They said "We have saved up for you",

Even while inconveniencing themselves.

She wanted to move out on her own,

Just to get some space,

They said, "The house is yours to use,

For all your living days."

She wanted to move and dance around,

Like a vagabond,

But they were tired and growing old,

For her they always longed.

She felt encumbered one time,
And intruded in on at another,
But she saw why she needed them,
A father and a mother.

While fury and frustration this,
in many like her has caused,
She learnt to think of it like them,
One day when she paused,

Oh it's the battle always fought,
The one that never ends,
It is the generation gap that,
Itself never mends,

Right in their place they were,
Right in her's was she,
And these fights never seem to end,
However old she may be!

But she sees what they mean,
when they say what they do,
That though it doesn't seem like it,
They've been through all this too.

Teenage, the hormones, and all the rush,
And the youngster's spirit,
They had their own days of youth,
When they were nice and fit,

And right though in her place she is,
She will still bow down and obey,
Coz she will get to impress her opinions too,
When she is a parent one day!

And this is how the generation gap,
Gapes on through the decades,
Time machines we shall now need,
If we wait for when it fades!