PAPER BOATS

The vintage albums I flip through

Takes me back to halcyon days

On grandmother's lap I would laze

Under pristine skies azure blue

She stoked amber fire for cooking porridge,

Lovingly fed me, narrating stories all the while

In her sun-drenched garden, myriad blooms we gathered

Weaving wreaths and posies, playing fairies and queens

Monsoons saw our paper boats sail away into the unknown

"Send me a paper boat after I'm gone, I will reply", she'd once jokingly said.

Dark clouds shrouded the golden rays

Doom would descend I had no clue

Blow unkind was fated, who knew!

We hobbled through thick fog and haze

Conned and deceived by her trusting kin

Gardens, home dishonestly proved no longer hers.

Ruthlessly razed, dreams blurred, one against the world

Pined away treachery to severe wither and heartbreak extreme

Heavens embraced her inside their gates divine

Haunting echoes left behind; when our souls sang and laughed together

Even today, I set my paper boats sail in the rivulet of rain

Tears of ink run, smudging the lines---"Mamama, I miss you. When will we meet again?"

GLOSSARY:

Mamama: Maternal grandmother.

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