When my Parents were Young

Dry leaves churned on the dirt floor
Like a mini tornado
Making the little heart thump
Of fear of being swept away

Smoke from incense sticks before the Gods
Made damp patterns in the air
Revealing a message
Saturated with strong optimism

The snakes in the bushes
Feared the gold-bangled hand
That whisked at them with a stick
Bearing the bright shield of protection

Roads were longer
Distances vast
The little girl curled in the back of the car
Reveling at the endless joy ride

Hunger was not in the dictionary
Freedom was
Failure was not a prospect
Victory was

Fights weren’t anathema
Verbal abuses sweet
Tears and laughter weighed the same
As if they were twins

Bright days drove away long nights
Restful sleep bounded after bad dreams
The saree that smelled of curry
Ducked the baby under its cover

The world kept being conquered everyday
With a letter, a word
A single smile created infinite dreams
When my parents were young

Youth replaced childhood
Ineptitude with skill
Ignorance took a beat
While adulthood thrilled

I ran amuck vast skies
Plucking out the stars
Sprinkling them around me
To catch them sparkle their last

I lived my separate life
And thence took theirs from them
Adding my 'black' to theirs
Until it became too dark to comprehend

The incense sticks still ember at twilight
Pervading the empty lung
For the air does not smell the same
As when my parents were young.