Where i'm From

I'm from clay pots
from bottle gourds and glycerine
I am from the worms that infested the peas
(tiny, trying to run free)
it tasted like what i could have told you
had my mother not snatched the peas from me

I am from the sweltering tropical heat
the torrential heavy downpours
whose smell i remember
as if it has never stopped raining

I'm from kheer and mehndi
from Kali and Hanuman
I'm from dinner-for- ten and breakfast at local street stalls
with kachori subzi
and chai

I'm from the sandal smelling incense sticks
and the penetrating sound of conch shells,
rust and dust
From the board games
from family movie times
Under my bed were a world of monsters
i was so afraid to confront
that it scared me to hang my legs from the bed at nights

I'm from these scattered, fading memories
from the innocent moments
from my childhood.

(dated: 30th June, 2010)