“Go on, watch TV and snigger,
You’ve nothing better to do, I figure,
But what about me?
It’s easy to see
My problem is growing bigger.”

“Oh Usha, my child, relax awhile!”
Cooed mother with a soothing smile,
“What cannot be cured,
Must be endured.
Fretting just isn’t your style.”

“Having sailed through my I.C.S.E.,”
Sighed Usha, “you must agree,
My next port of call
Shouldn’t at all
Be an unimaginative degree.”

“My mental processes are churning,
I’m filled with all kinds of yearning
There’s a whole life to live,
I have so much to give,
Where to give it is what sets me burning.”

Poor Usha was clearly depressed
Doubts and fears had her really obsessed,
“I haven’t a clue
About what I should do!”
She wept as one nearly possessed.

Aimless planning drove her to despair
Shining examples beyond compare,
The Michaelangelos
The Marie Curies, Tagores,
Filled her mind, made her tear her hair.

Once she found a scared bird with a broken wing
Took it home and cared for the helpless thing,
Kept it warm as can be
Fed it regularly,
Till it fluttered its thanks and began to sing.

A sudden radiance beamed from the girl’s face
She released the bird and began to race,
All over the lawn
Till her gloom was gone
Leaving a deep satisfaction in its place.

Imagine Usha’s jubilation
She had stumbled upon her vocation,
She was now all set
To become a vet!
She looked forward to the long preparation.