Temporary abode

Today’s (optional) prompt is brought to us by the Emily Dickinson Museum. First, read this brief reminiscence of Emily Dickinson, written by her niece. And now, here is the prompt that the museum suggests:

Martha Dickinson Bianchi’s description of her aunt’s cozy room, scented with hyacinths and a crackling stove, warmly recalls the setting decades later. Describe a bedroom from your past in a series of descriptive paragraphs or a poem. It could be your childhood room, your grandmother’s room, a college dormitory or another significant space from your life.

(Long forgotten memories come rushing with a whoosh taking me back in time to this very day, a fortnight spent in a temporary home at dad’s worksite.)

A whitewashed frame of brick and mortar

with a tin head atop

no beds, no dining table and chairs

just basic amenities to get by

one room for us siblings

I can still smell the sandalwood incense

mom would light, to keep the insects at bay

mattresses on the floor, covered with coarse cotton sheets,

were our four poster bed

from the ceiling fan hung the mosquito net

turning our sleeping alcove into a fortress

where many a wars were fought

temporary sheer curtains made

from mom’s old blue net saree

fluttered prettily in the windows

a world map on one bare wall

would keeps us on our toes

for every evening after dinner

dad would love to flummox us with geography quiz

sometimes over a glass of whisky he would relate

entertaining anecdotes shared by a German coworker

during the day it was our wrestling arena

also a place of verbal duels,

a haven from the heat outside

where we would venture in search of frogs and chameleons

a cosy nook to retire after the evening spree of cycling

every night the mango tree outside

rustled in the breeze playing a symphony

with the hot tin roof

that would keep us awake for a while

some nights, when the power would go off

we would read under the sheets

with torches under our chins

when it got too hot, the sheets were sprinkled with water

to keep us cool and the heat bearable

watching fireflies from the window

was our favourite night time activity

we didn’t have much then but were happy

today kids have everything yet…

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