A Leaky Roof Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Now that we are done with pretension
And bringing grace to bad causes
She could give her rendition in a quiet tired section of the cobweb

We didn't have much money and our house was very old
When it rained, the roof leaked in many places
The placing of buckets was a coordinated family affair
My mother and I handled the kitchen
Large orange bucket near the sink
Smaller blue bucket near the usually empty pantry

Brothers and sisters finished covering their assigned leaks
Then we would all sit in the front room and listen to the rain's unsettling artillery
We each took a turn being the one in our mother's arms
The rain outside like wolves growling seeking a way to get into our home

I looked at her face as she told this as if it was her most treasured memory
She accepted growing up in a leaking house
She accepted holding the bucket

On the other side of the monsoon
Mothers who smother their children with too much love or show them no love at all
Someone emptied the buckets on their heads