Wooden Steps

by Ashweein Narayanan

Wooden steps lead,
To the house, at the end of the lane,
The one that boasts a wonderful yard,
The one that boasts a wonderful garden,
The very same one, on stilts,
The one that subsisted through age,
And has remained unbothered.

Our tharavadu, our one solace,
The same one our Muthiamma and Muthacha built,
During the occupation of the Nippon,
A sanctuary for their safety, just a basic roof over their heads,
Transforming into our holiday haven,
Generations later.

As we precariously try to rouse our Acha from his
Slumber,
The creaks of the wooden steps give us away;
For we are trying to deceive him on his turf,
Obviously a foolish, yet amusing attempt.

And as our parents put us to sleep,
When night falls, we remain as restless as the jungle critters,
For our bedtime stories of the struggle and battles in the army,
Acha never fails to put a smile on our faces;

Before veils of darkness cover our eyes and we journey into
The realm of dreams.

And this makes him realize,
This very house, the one at the end of
The lane in Pekan Labu,
Does not stand strong because of the stilts,
Nor is it timber that hold the house in place;

It is the unbreakable bond,
The eternal, immortal, everlasting bond
Of Family...

© Ashweein Narayanan 2010

Ashweein Narayanan, the youngest son out of three, was born in Perak, Malaysia. He spent his early childhood mostly in the fields behind the hospital quarters where his mother worked. He moved to Sarawak, East Malaysia for most of his teenage life. While writing short stories and poems for his school magazine, he kept a collection of poetic pieces in a personal blog, with the idea of publishing them one day. After continuous pestering and encouragement from his relatives and his friends, he worked with Xlibris Publications to publish his compilation of poems. He has currently published one book with them, entitled ‘Phenomenal Dilemmas’.

He is currently studying in Nottingham University, pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His major inspirations are life happenings and occurrences in the 19 years of his less than perfect life, jotted down in a journal which became a book of poems.