Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
By Marnie Evans |
Born in a university town, Ripe with culture.
Ideal for children.
A quarry for swimming, Tree houses for climbing, A creek to wade in,
And a railroad to flatten pennies.
Ripped away from this paradise, To travel half around the world. To live, to view the Taj Mahal.
A wonder of the country,
Seen by 6 year old eyes, Wide open with amazement.
Cherished most of all,
A woman small in stature,
Less than five feet tall.
A nanny, my guardian angel.
In a world full of danger.
Of tigers, and jackals and scorpions, Cobras and crites.
Her name, Prapulla.
She treated us all as family. Especially me.
A caring, loving woman, Ideal for children’s care.
A housekeeper she was not. My room, neat and clean.
A few toys wound up,
With the socks and underwear.
Yet I loved her on.
We groomed, we dined together.
We played, scampering about the house When my parents partied elsewhere, Within the gated community.
When it came to part,
I cried, Prapulla cried, Embracing me tightly
As if she could hold me near.
She gifted me as if at Christmas. Two silver bracelets,
Meaningful in Indain culture. And a large part of her wages.
At home I wore them daily, Until they became too small, For my childish wrist.
I feel them still
From time to time.
And remember the woman In a sari.
Forever, in my heart.
We crossed and blended, The culture divide.
She gave me another gift More precious than the first. It cannot be outgrown.
The gift of tolerance And the desire to serve. Christian values
From a Hindu woman.
