Crows

It's when you hear
The neighbour's child
Calling out to the crows
To partake of
The offering to the dead
You realise how far you are from
Those childhood companions
You had shared meals with
And once never grew tired of watching.
When was it last
You woke up with joy
At their cawing?
When was it last
You heard them
At your window
And took them
Like your elders did
To be harbinger of guests?
When was it last
You looked at their stealthy steps
And oblique glances
With a smile
And shooed them away
From the rice
Left to dry?
Did you abandon them
To their textbooks,
Teaching the alphabet,
Getting a drink,
Falling for flattery,
After someone teased you
That you looked like one?