At the middle of the night
'If you do not get sleep',
mother says, 'take god's name.'
Sounds good (but why to disturb Him at this hour!),
instead I let her smiles appear and reappear
on each page I open with my eyes closed...
After rubbing my eyes at each daybreak
I open a new leaf and make boxes to tick;
I shall smile and greet all I meet
Get flowers and sit by mother's side
to light the lamp and the incense stick
Offer cookies to the little boy
who clapped the other day when I hit a six
Tell a sweet lie to mother
and instead of going for Sunday special class
I stray away to her lane a kilometer away
to tease her, 'What is special,
You look so very pretty?',
just to be chided, 'You nut, get lost,
I am busy in my study, shall I call up aunty?'
'No, No. I shall be off soon, don't be naughty,
but have lunch with me at twelve thirty.'
Lovely thoughts crisscross the mind
as butterflies on our garden roses,
I imagine to climb the champa tree that leans to east
to pluck a bunch of her smiles to feast!
Weightless mind flies off out of sight as a kite -
is it not the bliss of sleeplessness at the middle of the night!
