A parrot was locked in a cage, with a red beak and many-colored plumage.
He would sit there, keep watching, round and round; his eyes roved all around.
Then his gaze would fall on me – sharp as arrows, piercing glances.
Again and again, he would flutter away.
As if urging me to speak.
I had taught him to open his beak; others had also taught him a few words.
He had been given the lesson of recognition.
He kept repeating the whole lesson, reciting memorized words by rote – “Look at me—and tell me, who am I?”
A green chili was stuck in his red beak.
The blend of red and green looked lovely.
He would draw me along in all his colors – green too, yellow too, red too, and black too.
Longing hid in those round eyes; It seemed to me
Those restless glances were often disturbed.
Under some impulse, one day I opened the cage, threw the door wide open.
And waited to see what he would do.
Seeing the open door, his eyes sparkled; there was longing there, not delight.
He too seemed to be waiting for something.
A moment or two passed in silence – He still, and I motionless as well.
Suddenly, he sprang like a falcon, flew out of the cage,
And as he went, he left me with a single regret.
People who speak loosely call it “parrot-eyed.”
The phrase became common and was counted among proverbs.
I keep thinking—where is that “parrot-eyed”? – Who hugged all by himself. Even in captivity, he was steeped in love.
Those dear ones—he could not fill the emptiness of separation.
He did not forget the love of his own. He was only caged; that was all.
Once free, he fulfilled the rite of loyalty – How was he ever unfaithful?
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Interpretation: “Parrot-eyed” translates the Urdu idiom طوطا چشم (ṭoṭā-chashm). Literal: “parrot-eyed.”
Idiomatic meaning: fickle/inconstant, unfaithful – someone whose attention or affection shifts quickly and who forgets past attachments.
In Mom’s poem, she challenges this label, arguing that the parrot is actually loyal. It likely comes from the way a parrot’s eyes dart around, suggesting restlessness.