An enigmatic poem, by Sarala, about love, its loss and regain, exclusively for Different Truths.

Remember our childhood days 
When we ran to the seashore 
To make sandcastles 
Sometimes the castles were wiped off 
By the fiery storms 
And we got upset many a time 
When we grew up 
We felt the need of each other 
And regularly went to the shore
To make the castles 
One day as we were making the castles 
You left me and ran after a pretty 
Damsel 
I got hurt and looked at you with shame
You never turned back to look at me 
To see what’s happening to me 
I did not know you had no heart 
To love me, a simple girl with no curves!
I did not shed a tear 
But prayed and prayed you will be 
Back one day to make our dream castles on the same shore 
Even now I go there every dusk 
Making castles even bigger
My faith grew stronger every day 
That you will be back soon 
I stopped wearing colourful clothes which once I loved,
Now I only wear white, sign of my pure love for you 
My castles will be bigger every day 
Making my faith stronger and felt
You can’t live without me in this life 
My patience and prayers paid well 
And you returned as if nothing happened!
We embraced each other burying
The past forever!

Visual by Different Truths

Sarala Balachandran

Sarala Balachandran was working with an import-export organisation in the administrative department for 38 years. She retired eleven years back. Married, with two sons aged 43 and 36, she took interest in writing recently. She writes free verses.