TO OUR PARENTS (Rasamindrakotroka Andry Tiana)

O parents—guardians of our earliest dawn,
Who stood for us when none had yet looked on;
From cradle’s hush, through shadow and through light,
You shaped our souls and led our steps aright.

In every step, in every dream we knew,
You were the tree from which our being grew;
Through passing years, through trials we could not name,
Your hands traced paths that gave our lives their frame.

From beaten fields to city streets so wide,
You bore our burdens, ever at our side;
Through sleepless nights, through weariness and strain,
Your hearts endured, unyielding through the pain.

And when the void would enter in our home,
You kindled days where hope and warmth could bloom;
From seeming nothing, brighter tomorrows grew,
That we might live in light the way you knew.

So children now—receive this solemn call:
Give back in love to those who gave you all;
Let fathers taste the rest their lives have earned,
Let mothers smile at twilight, gently turned.

Let them be lifted by your faithful care,
Crowned in both shadow and in light they share;
Far from all sorrow, may their spirits be
At peace, fulfilled, in quiet dignity.

For in their blood your truest riches run,
Their hearts once beat so yours might be begun;
And all you are, and all you yet may be,
Was born of them—your living legacy.

RASAMINDRAKOTROKA Andry Tiana
28 May 2025
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