The Childhood
-Pallavi Krishna Kasala
The games we played when young
Angry neighbour aunty’s face when her doorbell rung
Angry neighbour aunty’s face when her doorbell rung
Silly fights we picked on friends
The innumerable toffee spends
Money that got stolen from dad’s pockets
Whiskey bottles to send Diwali rockets
Holidays that got immense joy
Fallen grades only make you cry
Grandparents who pampered you
Fear of ghosts was always true
White polish and black shoes
Running nose, cough and sick day blues
School uniforms, belts, and ties
Catching colourful butterflies
Pretending sick to skip school
Little pranks on April fool
Morning school bus that waited long
Hopping, skipping and singing songs
Running races, bruised hands and legs
Little joys like cracking boiled eggs
Colourful dresses on Birthdays
Waiting for those overdue Sundays
Scribbling through homework to go out and play
Overlooking sun in the summers of May
Pink panther, Tom & Jerry, Looney tunes
Missing lunch boxes, forks and spoons
Missing lunch boxes, forks and spoons
Signing test papers in the morning
Names on board for continuous talking
Contra, Mario, Road Rash and Tekken
Tears that flowed when toys were broken
Waiting for dads last news to get the remote
Running to a friend’s home for missing notes
Countless number of sibling fights
Can you forget those colourful kites?
Hide & seek and the unfortunate denner
Still love the smell of fevicol, petrol and thinner?
Imaginary characters and stories we bake
Can a pastry beat that honey cake?
Giant wheel, dancing cars, and hurricane
The unexplained hatred towards greens and grains
Stones at mangoes and climbing trees
Pelting hives and running from bees
Classroom, boards, and coloured chalks
Early morning blues and invisible socks
The sun didn’t matter nor did the rain
A paper wasted always called for boats and planes
Funny haircuts we couldn’t deny
Bidding a moving friend, a sad goodbye
Good or bad, this was our childhood
Did all the things a child should
Did all the things a child should
When we couldn’t tell right from wrong
Though vulnerable still thought strong
Though vulnerable still thought strong
Look we can’t go back there again
But that child in us hasn’t complained
Push yourself out and wear that smile
Coz angry aunty’s doorbell hasn’t been rung in a while
Beautiful poem. Never read one like this. Please keep writing more.
Not to be “that guy” but someone’s gotta do it. This is quite poorly written. There are at least half a dozen grammatical errors, the rhyme scheme stops haphazardly, and frankly, the premise isn’t new or thought provoking in the slightest.
While the effort it takes to put yourself out there and write something is nothing to scoff at; awarding, let’s face it, subpar writing with accolades isn’t the move here.
Would IWP be so kind as to reveal their scoring process, and who the judges are? Are the judges even credible writers themselves? It seems unlikely to me, but I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
I do hope this winner continues writing and takes this criticism as constructive. It’s not intended to belittle this, or any effort made in this regard. Having thick skin is a prerequisite if you want to be a writer.
I second this. Requesting IWP to reveal their scoring process and judges.
Totally agree with your comment. Should appreciate the writer for the effort that has been put in. But when it comes to the competition , I don’t think that the juries has done justice
this 👆🏻👆🏻
Lovely poem, Nostalgia triggers.