The Photo Album: A Poem by Lalita Vaitheeswaran

Lost time like footprints on sand

Peeped through the sepia pictures

The childhood and the youth mocked

At my wrinkled and furrowed crow’s feet

An era of life which I lived just for others

My smiles, my laughter and my happiness weren’t mine

Expended and exhausted prime time to nurture

Converting a scattered haven of disarray into a home

Chirpy chimes and hearty peals of laughter resounded

Reverberating and disappearing into bizarre lands beyond the horizon

Bringing back to life those lively moments of joy

When every corner of the abode was cozy with warmth

Where is it now? Lost in no-man’s land of uncertainty

As I rocked on my easy chair with misty eyes

The photo album hazed merging into oblivion of my memories