Scribbles

shades of pink and a little indigo
a ribbon tied on wayward hair
a child's laughter a sun's halo
a leaf falling from mother tree

these sights bring tranquility
deep in my thoughts and memory
a distant past when all seemed free
of anger fear of failure living happily

missing the days when I ran free
on bunds crisscrossing fields of paddy
I wish I could feel the freshness
invigorating air before buses and cars

they're gone with the chimes of time
disappeared into the books of then
closed encyclopedia just in the mind
for none captured that lost innocence

as I silently walk down memory lane
on evenings when the sky had turned dark
I could almost taste and see the scenes
where we read books under kerosene lamps