Those quaint smiles and large laughs

during afternoon tea ritual

I miss dearly as age advances

It was a fun time always

flooded with bursts of syrupy giggles…

leg pulling and humor played key motifs as usual

The big terrace

ambushed by hefty cane chairs

bathed in afternoon warmth

was wrapped with bubbles of hustle bustle

mirth and laughter

defined our holidays in a grand way

every summer

we remained drowned upto neck

in the sea of fun

no one chided nor halted our eruptic action

Tea was served at five

malt drink at same time

yearned and longed to exchange cups

sip and savor niceties of tea… piping hot

but that was not to be

grandma’s chide refrained me

wished to grow big fast

bask in the glory of adulthood slot

I have grown up

risen in age’s rung

yet have not been able to evade

those distinct longings of yore

My findings of last summer

was not very encouraging for sure

the terrace is heart broken

robust chairs by now replaced by thinner version

Gripping silence pervades

simple pleasures have lost their place

perhaps! in the rat race

people no more derive pleasure in companionship

nor do they sit and chat with their kith and kin

the world has changed for better or worse

cannot comprehend

yet… fervently wish the deadlock to end.

                                                                                                    ~ Sujata Dash

                                                                                                     Bhubaneswar, India