Castle

"Castle" 

It was right there,
lying in ruins,
what was once my home.

Oh! How beautiful my castle was
Just one of a kind,
the place where memories became,
where I ran and laughed
and did mischief’s of all kinds.
Born and brought up there,
I was the princess of the castle.
Servants ran after me all the time.
I teased them and hid from them,
until they grew tired.
It was then that I jumped on them,
out of my hiding place.

I sat on the rocks for hours, thinking,
fantasizing about my prince charming.
Throwing stones in the sea
and watching the ripples disappear.
It was a pastime of sort,
a ritual for me.
Never did I felt anything was missing,
until one day I saw my father and uncle fighting.
They were screaming and calling each other names.
I was frightened and started crying.
My mother took me inside, held me
and I slept in her arms.
When I woke up, I felt the bed was shaking.
I opened my eyes and saw the sky.
We were traveling in the caravan.
I asked my mother where we were going.
She replied ‘to our new house’.
I was pleased that I would have a new one
but the happiness lasted only till it came in sight.
There it was, nothing like the castle back home.
Just a small house of cement,
surrounded by wild trees and plants.
I was horror-struck and close to tears.
I said this couldn’t be our new home.
My mother held me by my shoulders
and told me that it was.
Life in the new home
was boring and deprived of the joys I earlier had.
There were no servants or sea outside.
I couldn’t forget my real home anytime.
I craved for it everyday and night,
until one day I just couldn’t survive.
I ran and ran and didn’t stop,
until I came to what was once my home.
There it lay, just a ruin now.

I wonder what had happened,
what struck my house.
I cried until the river level rose.

Tired and broken,
in the evening,
I walked towards home.