life and death

i wondered,
how can life come out of concrete?

in the crowded chennai,
i live in a cement jungle.

walled on all sides,
amidst narrow dusty lanes.

i see light through the window,
that has flowers on an orangy screen.

then i noticed life breathing,
it was a plant out of the brick-wall.

it grew and grew,
to be life giving greenish.

then came my sister,
to give birth to a baby boy.

at the peak of summer,
she suffered from exhaustion.

had to fit an air-conditioner,
like every other house in the city.

it was really cool inside,
outside it was hotter than before.

while we felt chillness at home,
the plant was struggling to survive.

may be a week from now on,
mom and little sons will go home.

then the hum will stop sure,
and i hope the plant lives long.

only the seed will know,
the difficulty in giving life,
amidst bricks and cement.

may be,

for every baby born,
a plant sacrifices its life.

how long?