School Memories Poem by Indira Renganathan

Born on the bank my school
Bathed in cool breeze of river Varaha

Fanned cool by coconut groves around
Blessing inside the premises
A seasoned Exam-Pillaiyar

Commencement of assembly my voice to lead
Followed by the rest in increased volume
Prayer songs dispersing the air

Penned the pupils in respective classes
Class-rooms old and new and mine
Holding a Badam tree at its feet

Clothed full of caterpillars
And they creeping inside bit me for a year

Anyway to the bitten me
Flapped colourful wings my teachers
To fly up to catch the Rainbow

SHARADHA

Flowed flooded river between home and school
Sharadha though otherwise calm then a gullible fool

Bridge was a round about way
Hasty Sharadha got drowned in great dismay

Pupils assembled for prayer
Then heard a screaming from the river

Sharadha's! Sent at once the school the peon
Was Sharadha rescued from a mile on

A lesson for everybody
Ashamed Sharadha unable to look at anybody

Needn't have happened to a soft Sharadha
Shy and shivery was the real Sharadha

'Came late for the exam' was her fear
So did she get into the river

Unwilling the bridge-way chose the river-way
Wisdom then failed anyway

Hasty ventures may better be averted
Else may better be alerted

Rosy memories are sometimes thorny
Like Sharadha at times twinging me