Yesternight , a charming fairy
Took me to a wonderland
To my utter surprise and shock
There were no adults, but
Only children, children and children
Some were playing Hopscotch
In the backyard of their houses
Some were making mud toys
Some were climbing trees
To catch the young ones
Of the lovely Ring-doves
Some were taking bath
In the muddy waters
Of a shallow stream
Some were buying rattles
Whistles, toys and dolls
Roaming free and happy
Without any care or pain
Some were pulling those
Handmade wooden carts
Some were carrying paddy seeds
In the fronts of their long
Torn and drooping shirts
To buy candies and jaggery
From the only shop of the village
Some were playing tipcat
Striking the billet with the peg
Deriving infinite pleasure and joy
The scenes watered my mouth
I wished to join them
But alas! my grey hair
And my weak muscles and bones
My worries and responsibilities
My avarice, greed and wishes
Apprised me at once
That I am no more a child
I offered my whole possessions
For a single turn of Hopscotch
For a solitary strike of the peg
But, I was denied the same
Childhood can’t be purchased
For wealth and money
(The author is a Teacher and a freelancer. Views expressed in this poem by him are his own)
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