What a fool was I

You guys carry on

And I'll join you later

He always said

Anytime there was

Something 

He didn't want to attend

A shraddha, a festival 

A ritual, a community work

A death of someone distant

And he never did attend 

Anything that needed 

Even a little bit of 

Emotional labor 

Always, always giving time to

His own pursuits

His own interests 

And how foolish was I

Believing that

Just because I managed 

To shirk these 

Unpleasant responsibilities 

Once in a while

When I was young

And ostensibly studying,

I could avoid them

Forever 

And live his life of 

'tapasya' and 

'noble purpose'