Grandma and the Toddler
By Sharada Bhanu
The six year old demands
Foreign fantasy, but the toddler
Is a realist; disdaining Duck
And Mouse, toy and tale,
She prefers to play
With my kitchen vessels
And fitting larger within
The smaller, threatens
To achieve the
Impossible.
Child’s play. Soon hunger
And sleep will end it. I will
Gather up the vessels
And re-collect
My three lost years
Of childhood
Floating through
The margin,
Patting her gently
On my lap.
Sharada Bhanu is a retired Associate Professor of English who used to work at Stella Maris College, Chennai. For her writing was a quiet pleasure over several decades, particularly when her captive audience of students vanished. Her research was on Advaita and Fantasy Fiction for Children. She is the author of a novel for children, several articles, short stories and poems.