‘PRASHASTHI’: Poem by Parvathy Ramachandran

‘Prashasthi’, it’s our home
and it’s my daughter’s name again.
The same name, in all charm
I have given for my home too
And how wise am I, when I
managed to name both same
leaving my brain, less imaginative
a second time and my emotions
a thorough study, when no other
word can make our world,
worth an abode, less a heaven.

Sweetness poured in every morning,
with the chirping of birds
that nested in our sandal tree
and there again the sound of
falling rain on the rocky terrain
and final dripping of the last
droplets, misted the open courtyard
and the bamboos, that leaned west
for the sunbath for the evening
gleam of light from the lamp,
the shadows of the night sky
through the pergolas
and the gentle breeze,
made the dining more cool and comfy,
when everything and everything
brought countless luxuries of nature,
for our home.

The open pond,
by the side of veranda
was home to koi carps, guppies
and a few more and did they
dance in rhythm to the music
that flowed high and low.
When the balconies,
opened to the seas
the coffee table,
got occupied in all chances
and the library rack,
resourced all my young minds
further made one an architect,
another an aeronautical engineer
yet another artist,
and the doors always waited
for her children to drive back home
And that was our ‘Prashasthi’.