Childhood Memories

My mother is in the dusk of her life,

and I want to honor her perhaps

so, I find myself returning to childhood,

painting my memories a lot.

We had cattle shed in our backyard.

the timber got wet in monsoon,

termites were concern.

DDT was sprayed on the wood.

When I read DDT was harmful,

I begged my mother not to spray.

Even as a kid I took my stand.

We had a guava tree I loved to climb,

my father hired a butcher to process a goat,

I stopped climbing that guava tree,

kindness was always there.

Near our backyard brick wall,

there was a thick bamboo patch,

after school, I would pick leaves

to feed our calf,

for whom, I make necklace too.

We also had many chicks.

I loved holding them gently.

Once a large black ant bit a chick,

I applied antiseptic cream

These are some small moments

of my bucolic childhood,

with my mother a fixture.

Note: I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the stories.