I Wish To Be A Child; All Life Poem by Vineeth Mohandas

I wish I had remained
A child all Life
Not knowing what
This world is outside

I never knew
What it meant to be
A Hindu, Dalit, Buddha or Jain
I never knew
What it meant to be
A Christian, Islam, Sikh or Jew
For me Christmas was the time
To get gifts from Santa
Diwali was the time
To burst crackers and have halwa
Eid was the time to have
Biriyani and Sarbath
And it was fun, full of life
I wish I had remained
A child all life

I used to smile and smile all time
Never knowing there are
Occasions to smile
Now when I see my smile in a mirror
I wonder where I lost it
And got this wrong one there
Now when I think of
My marriage and children
I first think whether my spouse
Is my caste and religion
Going for a job or for studies
I think more of
The reservation I enjoy
Days of Joy I would never see again
It’s the life of separation
Looming large and again

In the midst
Of all impossibilities of life
I wished I had remained
A child all life
Not knowing what
This world is outside