Before Boarding The College Bus.. Poem by Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi

The moment I step out of my home,
Carrying my hot not insulated lunch box,
Hurriedly filled with two idlies and coconut chutney,
I feel very free as the bird; just leave my tugged saree,
To flow with the wind, this is observed by my watching relations,
Anklets at my feet making noise of merry,
When I am surrounded by the humming bees and butterflies,
I have to look at the ground, but my eyes can move side to side,
That bee just woke up and waiting for my perfumed breeze,
Smiling at me as if he sees his favorite sweet,
Walking on the street, a few houses away,
The newly married uncle butterfly can’t give up,
His old habit, just looking at me as if he has lost,
His favorite toy in the chariot festival of summer,
My childhood friends who have mustache and beard,
Chatter as loud as they can, so they think that I can turn,
There comes the temple of First God, The Lord Ganesh,
I have to remove my shoes and plead with him for a while,
The familiar faces are gone, now the new faces from other towns,
They watch me as the precious flower, which is kept on the altar,
A few note books to take the notes during boring lecture,
The lecturers are as ignorant as the learners of why they are there,
The pencil box of leaking Indian pens and imported Malaysian erasers,
The flower shops sell the different kinds of flowers,
I have to board the women only bus, before the college gate is locked,
so I can get the new passport to fly over the oceans of desires.