SUMMER WITH GRANDMA

Come summer and grandma’s sprawling house beckons

The flora and fauna all seem set to welcome us

The lovely garden with roses, jasmines, hibiscus and an odd water lily

The garden hose neatly curled up on the wall inviting us to chill out

To top it all, a peacock family strutting about showing off their plumage.

An unending chatter of woodpeckers, parrots, sparrows and cute birds

With squirrels nibbling at the bird feeder or diving into the birdbath.

As if this treat was not enough, we could raid the backyard for

Cool and refreshing tender coconuts from the tall trees but

What’s more tempting are the mangoes dangling next door!

The greenery and the open space are our playground

And while we were cloistered in our flats during the lockdown

Here we can roam about at free will, watering the plants

Or collecting fresh brinjals, tomatoes and chilies to the kitchen

Building up our appetite for a variety of dishes specially made for us.

Grandma’s house is paradise for all of us kids to bask in her love

And be thankful to all the pleasant surprise gifts that often spring up

Chocolates and treats were so frequent, yet we could never tire of these.

We could get busy doing nothing, or pick up rare flowers on our walks

Enjoy the mountain range from our verandahs enjoying samosas

Ply paper boats when occasional rains would cause small streams.

There were new things to be learnt – how to make rangolis

Or string the fragrant jasmines into a garland

Or even learning to read and write our mother tongue!

Snakes and ladders and Ludo kept the whole family engaged

One should ask the neighbours how we enjoyed

As our peals of laughter reverberated everywhere.

Looking forward to the next summer and new experiences

One will be better than the other for sure as Grandma’s home is best.