Long Long Ago Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Long long ago
So long ago
No one else knows how long ago
But I know it was
Fifty four years ago
I lived in that house for a month or so
During a summer vacation
Me with my sister and parents
Were given a part of the house
To stay and have a great annual outing
In the mid of a metro
I sighted that house by chance
One afternoon
When I walked some distance towards home
After a half-a-day work in the office
The tall neem tree was still there
With its dark broad shadow
The tin sheet topped outhouse
Which formed our kitchen was also seen
Hotting up in the afternoon sun
In which we used to take our lunch with profuse sweating
I managed to peep over the gate
The same rust laden paint ridden
And could see the two feet wide cement platform
Leading to the entrance of the house
On which we played cricket
Often to the displeasure of the elders
The house has not changed at all
The same wooden framed entry
With forgotten-to-be-painted iron mesh
The same stairs on the front leading to
The half-sheltered first floor
I was wondering as to how
This house stood without practically any change
In the middle of a posh surronding
I was recalling those 30 or so days’ stay
In that house from where
We used to visit places
Every other day
I was just thinking about a mid night episode
When street dogs chased us
As we were returning from a film show
In a nearby cinema hall
I came to my senses as a dog was barking at me
From inside the gate
And there appeared a woman
And asked me what was I looking for
I started telling her
Long long ago