You And Me And Our Pals Poem by J T Jayasingh

It was a time we played together
You and me and our peer pals.
I waited, desperate in the sterile afternoons
To hear the trilling bell of your old bicycle
-The dark sturdy boy with an innocent face-
While you passed through my house
Thousand tube lights blinked in my soul.

We played on dusty grounds
Under the watchful eyes of the burning sun,
Play (cricket) was the greatest act then:
Our mantra, incantation and philosopher
At its alter all our pride and ego were burnt
To mould you and me and our pals one.

Do you remember our casual chats
With the witty engineer and others?
We learnt to debate, discuss and coexist.
What noble thoughts and fiery plans we had
That would have made the world upside given a chance!

One day when you showed your deepest heart
I knew you wished to become a naxalite
To fight for the oppressed,
And then I told I would be a police,
But now you are in kaki like a bird in a cage
And I am a free bird fighting with my pen
Sitting on terrains and trains.

Even now sometimes in the wee hours
Only in a hackneyed vision I see
A bunch of fiery lads discuss lofty matters,
You and me and our pals…
J T Jayasingh