Memories of summers past: A poem by Dr. Guncha Gupta

Nostalgic, I reminisce, conjuring wistful memories
Of languorous summers that kept us busy
Buzzing like bees,
Our innocent games, full of claps, laughter n’ silly dreams.

The lanes we played in, immaculately dressed
With racemes of bright yellow laburnums,
Some drooping down like bridal veils
To shade or to invade a child’s play.

Idyllic summers teeming with bivouac of monarchs
We relentlessly chased, caught n’ preserved in books.
Polka dotted ladybirds we engaged to decide our fates,
Competing to touch their tails, pass or fail, designing a self-test.

Doorbells that we naughtily rang,
Then disappeared to avoid reprimands.
The coins we buried hoping to reap treasure trees,
The treasures we sought in pith or dried up golden leaves.

The trees we climbed, the falls we endured,
Verandas filled with water for breaststrokes in makeshift pools.
The ice candies we slurped, watermelon, lemon n’ raspberry, our primary colors.
Long lost days of summers past, enticingly lure forever.

Piled up homework left till last days of vacation, the test of true friendships, helping each other.
The long lazy walks, spooky stories n’ beddings piled to play on.
Oh! How I pine for those summery fragrances, petrichor absolute to return to now.