Wait awhile!

I build a castle of untold tales,

tell a saga,

of feuds, feasts and festivals

on your shores.

In the castle, I

build a kitchen to preserve

the traditional recipes

add a window to peer into

the soul of the shy cousin.

I line the inner walls with portraits

of those who would years hence be known for

their smiles, eyes and the colour of their skin,

not for

the ambrosial puddings she baked,

the pigtails she braided,

the stories she told,

the faded green tattoo on his arm,

the supply of crisps and candies,

the paralysed side of his body,

the walks I took with him and her.

I create a motte of inconsequential facts

that need to be told.

Ours is no legacy of royalty,

our narrative is but

the architect of our beliefs.

These stories you will wash away

by the dawn of day.

like rocks now are pearls of sand.

Stop!

Let us glimpse on our castle of untold tales.

Wait awhile!

                                                          ~ Shefali Poojary

                                                           Chennai, India