The Place That Lives in My Mind

In the heart of the forest, by a railway line,

Near the mines of coal so dark, yet fine,

Stood a castle of brick and mortar white —

My home, my haven, my soul’s delight.

A mango tree shaded the courtyard ground,

Night jasmine spread its scent all around.

Animals wandered, birds took flight,

Days were golden, and stars shone bright.

Joyful mornings, skies so clear,

Soulful evenings drawing near.

Scorching summers, thunderous rain,

Chilly winters, and spring again.

Something in that fragrant air,

Healed my heart and eased each care.

Neither village nor town defined,

That place was one of its kind.

Its own dawn, its own twilight hue,

A world I knew, so pure, so true.

River, pond, and well were mine,

We’d play, we’d pour, we’d rise, we’d shine.

Each festival brought colors divine —

Holi, Diwali, Chhath, Durga’s time.

Grandparents weren’t stories told,

They were the stories — wise and old.

Their presence calm, their touch so kind,

Their love still lingers in my mind.

“Cricket!”, “I Spy!”, “Catch me if you can!” —

Echoes of laughter, the joy of our clan.

Those simple games, that carefree time,

Still sing in rhythm, still softly chime.

There’s much to say, but words confine,

I’ll tell the rest some other time.

I left that heaven long behind,

They turned it all to a coal mine.

I once lived there, beneath that sky —

Now that place in my heart shall never die.

For I left it once, in truth I find —

That place now lives inside my mind.