Where Have the Sparrows Gone?

Sipping lazily, the Evening tea
In our balcony,
My husband remarked
Have you ever wondered
Where all the sparrows have gone?
I looked around
Trying to locate one,
But saw only pigeons
Outside the concrete
Apartments.
Mating and multiplying
In all seasons,
Almost all the time.
And noticed
All the apartments
Tightly secured all around.
Windows closed to shut out
Flies and mosquitoes
Or to shut in the cool of ACs?
I remembered
My childhood house
Of open windows and doors,
Closed only at night.
Sparrows had all the freedom
To come and go
And share even the bedroom.
Twitching their tails and building
Their nests straw by straw
In the ventilator near the ceiling.
Soon we could hear
The cheeping and chirping of the chicks,
Ever hungry, waiting for their mother
Fluttering in and out of the nest
Before we realized
The little birdies would fly away.
Another season!
Same episode!
But today!
By shutting doors
We shut out not only the unwanted ones,
But also, the birds, the nature,
The joys and the singing of the sparrows;
Nature’s gift

Today I feed the stale chapattis
Only to stray dogs!