My bundle of Gold

My   bundle of Gold

By

P.R,Ramachander

Her   elder  sister  wanted  her to be called Goldie,

Her mother  wanted her  to be called  after her grandmother,

Her father wanted  her to be called   the timeless Yamini ,

And  I only   wanted  to see  her  and call her “Oh my child”

She    did  come one    day , when we  were not  expecting her ,

AS a golden child   as  cheerful  as her   great grandma ,

And  personification  of all the happy times  which were coming,

And  just like a  just opened  lotus flower , I took her  in my hands.

From that   moment  my  eyes    did not want    to see ,

Any one   else   except   that golden  timeless   flower,

And   one day   she started    smiling at her  Thatha,

And one day when I was busy , I heard a voice calling me thatha.

I turned   round and round    to see   who  dared   to call  me like that,

And then heard  that mischievous   smiling cherub  call me thatha  again,

And ofcourse  I hugged    her   and told her “Oh my little one, for that ,

Even if one were  to give me a cartload of  gold , I would refuse it”

The little   one grew up first   in to a lisping    toddler  and later ,

AS a young little girl, who when she   saw  me  from far far  away ,

Would run to me  , hug me    and tell me  “You are mine  THatha”

And I too with   eyes  wet with tears  of joy   would tell her “Yes Goldie”

Every working    day right    from the   day   she started   schooling,

You will  find an old man     anxiously   waiting  near  the foot path,

To safely   take  his   golden goldie   to his golden home,

And as soon  she saw me , she  used to hand over  her bag for me to carry.

Times passed, I became   a silver mine  but to  my gold mine,

I still   was her Thatha   whom    she loved   with all her heart,

Times   would still pass  and this silver  mine    would not one day be there,

To make Sambharam*  to my little darling , who always   told me “it was great”

    * Masala butter milk /Khara lassi   the kerala version