The Good Old Days
|
Dr Ranbir Laishram
I wandered in time,
Till I found myself playing hockey
With my friends at the village
Playground after school hours.
Twas then that I found myself in the best of spirit and strength.
The hockey stick was a uniquely curved
Bamboo shoot nicely polished.
The ball was also a policed bamboo root
We searched hours in bamboo bush for the appropriate one for making the hockey stick.
The local ground was grassy and uneven;
In between small pebbles protruded like sprouting seed.
There was no sport shoes, bare footed we played.
Sometimes while running Achilles heel hit some stone; how painful it was !
The ball bounced at the uneven ground;
Sometimes hit at the leg and body
Causing dark bruises lasting for days.
Midway the play we all were drenched with sweat and exhausted, took out our shirts. Thirsty we were, we went to the community pond to quench out thirst. The water was clear and tasty; And we all enjoyed the drink.
And when dusk set in,
We parted and returned to our respective homes.
Then my mother would call me to move to the kitchen
To partake dinner with my brother on the same copper dish, sitting on the floor.
There was no dining table.
Those memories still linger and fill me with joy.
Those days are long gone, but they’ll ‘er be forgotten
I wandered in time,
Till I found myself playing hockey
With my friends at the village
Playground after school hours.
Twas then that I found myself in the best of spirit and strength.
The hockey stick was a uniquely curved
Bamboo shoot nicely polished.
The ball was also a policed bamboo root
We searched hours in bamboo bush for the appropriate one for making the hockey stick.
The local ground was grassy and uneven;
In between small pebbles protruded like sprouting seed.
There was no sport shoes, bare footed we played.
Sometimes while running Achilles heel hit some stone; how painful it was !
The ball bounced at the uneven ground;
Sometimes hit at the leg and body
Causing dark bruises lasting for days.
Midway the play we all were drenched with sweat and exhausted, took out our shirts. Thirsty we were, we went to the community pond to quench out thirst. The water was clear and tasty; And we all enjoyed the drink.
And when dusk set in,
We parted and returned to our respective homes.
Then my mother would call me to move to the kitchen
To partake dinner with my brother on the same copper dish, sitting on the floor.
There was no dining table.
Those memories still linger and fill me with joy.
Those days are long gone, but they’ll ‘er be forgotten