———-
A place
Of my childhood
A verdant jungle
—————-
A difficult decision
—————
Our neighbours
Friends
Our children’s
Friends
The football ground…
————-
Was it worth it…
The shifting
—————
We were comforted
—————
The kids
Playing around
—————
The early birds
Walking
Jogging
Running
————
Gatherings
In the evenings
The young
The not so young
————-
Chatting
————-
The camaraderie
Just like
Our old place
———-
We were allured
————
The pool
The clubhouse
The lifts
The parking
The neatly
Trimmed bushes
The cleanliness
————-
The breeze
Resfreshing
Even
In
The hot month
Of May
———-
Won us over
—————
Tipco
A paradise
For our family…..
————-
Soon
Our extended family
Followed
———
We’re all
Together now
————-
A Tipco
Of my dreams
Not very different ….
———-
A glimpse
From the past…
———
My mother
Planting
In the open ground
The papaya plant
Cleverly watered
From the overflow
Of the water tank
————
The neighbours
They say
They’ll be
Plundered away
————
You won’t get any
———-
She says
It doesn’t matter
The land
The water
Is not wasted
————
Doesn’t matter
Who gets the fruit
———-
I look around
Our neat
Trimmed bushes
A treat to our eyes
————
I should be happy
————
But then
The land
The water
It doesn’t
Bear fruit
————-
I dream
The bushes
They are gone
————
I picture
Papayas
Bananas
Vegetable gardens
Herbs
Medicinal plants
————
Are those terraces…
People
Vegetable kitchens
————-
Fertilised organically
From the waste
From the houses
———
Who gets them
Is a difficult question
But not impossible
————
The land
The water
The fertiliser
Sunshine
Let it not
Go waste
————
I dream again
————
I see
A football ground
A bleeding forehead
An eye
That escaped damage
From a missile
From the ground
————-
The nets
Are up now
————
The kids happy
Everyone’s safe
————-
I dream again
This time
It’s Tipco
———
I picture
Our kids
———-
Playing….
Football
Cricket
———-
I dream again
This time
It’s Tipco
————-
The young
The not so young
Chatting away
In their favourite place
———-
The nets
Portable
Making sure
They stay safe
————
They move
Occasionally
———
To let
The occasional
Vehicle in
————
They’re happy
The older lot
———-
They are safe
From the missiles
That would hurt
Inadvertently
————
They are happy
The children
————
Their missiles
Do not hurt
Inadvertently
———
I picture
The sandpit
In the park
———
No longer
Contaminated
With cement
———-
Now
Replaced
With
Synthetic flooring
————
I picture
The Tiles
In the pool
———
Can see
The broken tiles
The edges
That hurt
Broken no more
————-
———-
I recall
The festivals
The colour
The flavour
The sounds
The participation
The cooperation
————
The evening bteeze
The birds chirping…
————
This is where
I
Want to be
———-
