Paper Boats
written by: Indrani Chowdhury
As the year’s first rains from the heavens,
Slacken its pace,
The young, excited faces of the neighbourhoods,
Brace themselves, for their paper boat race.
The multi-coloured boats,
Represent multi-coloured dreams that,
Only a child could weave with his imagination of rainbow threads.
An adult, with his understanding of life, would,
Fail to resonate with it,
As he is a sinner, who has seen too much,
A victim, who has tasted the twists of time, experience, chance, and fate.
The soft breeze,
As if with an intention to tease,
Caresses the tender corner of the boats,
Giving a fillip to their speed.
And their owners run with them,
Emulating the pirates of the ocean,
Risking everything, as if to seek some hidden treasures without fail.
The cherubic faces, whether of fair,
Brown, pale, or black complexion,
All together become red with anticipation,
As their boats crisscrossed all the barriers of mud,
Small mounds of garbage or pebbles,
Dumped in the overflowing drains,
Almost reached their destination.
And as the winning boat touches the line of victory,
Its dishevelled hair, five-year-old winner gives,
An intense dance of exhilaration whose moves seem exclusive to his own.
And viewing it, everybody knows that,
In this first race of life, he has gallantly won.
- Paper Boats - March 31, 2025
- The Swinging Dreams - November 22, 2024
- Monsoon Extravaganza - August 14, 2024
