With your siblings across the sea
You became, as the cliche goes,
The apple of your parents’ eyes
Devising games like home-made cricket
With carrom coins and a button
Kneeling on the spotless mosaic floor
With a matchbox as your stumps
You bowled over after over after over
And, sometimes, cheated in your solitude
As you were the umpire too
But then you didn’t ever spin
At odd hours into good neighbors’ homes
Or pull an innocent maiden’s hair
Until she cried out and slapped your face
Or offer to throw bored stones
At stray dogs minding their own business–
You didn’t even liberate
Sultry beauties from careless libraries.
Time passed and then poetry discovered you
Scribbling your soul
On the back of wedding invitation cards
Wanting to be heard, uncertain of yourself
Until she swayed into your pavilion
And made you feel you were her world.
An evocative piece par excellence,replete with a kaleidoscope of memories.
Thank you very much, Louis. ”Pavilion:1972” is the 100th poem I have posted in Destiny Poets! Merry Xmas!