Under the umbrella; Once again
Drenched in heavy rains, I remembered the umbrella my mother gave me
when I walked to school on rainy mornings;
Don’t lose it, she would admonish me as I stepped out…
Walking, along the way, I would be joined by friends and we would chat
pitter patter oblivious of raindrops piercing our face and
the puddle of water in our steps;
That huddle is lost now,
That puddle is lost now;
I have torched that umbrella many years ago,
those chiding-words have fallen silent, but rains still come year after year;
My friends watch me from far away, wave at me, my steps are longer now and,
raindrops hurt my eyes;
That huddle is gone,
That puddle is lost now,
I often see mother’s hand with an umbrella, as a child steps out on a rainy morning;
I rub my eyes and watch in frozen silence, listening to the sound of raindrops;
Someday, I tell myself, rains will stop or, I’ll find a place under the umbrella once again
Written for Mummy (Bhanu’s ma)
