These Stories are My Memories

inspired by the Open Court Story, “The Land I Lost”

by Saakshi M.

These stories are my memories,

those tall mountain sides,

that clear blue lake,

that cattle we took care of,

These stories are my memories.

These are my memories,

the rice in the rice field swaying,

the fear of those murderous animals and thieves,

In our hamlet of 50,

These stories are my memories

These stories are my memories,

the opera of the faithful one and the flatterer.

The persecution of the faithful one made me cry,

and the cruelness of the flatterer made me rage.

These stories are my memories.

These stories are my memories

The attractiveness of my grandmother lingers on.

My grandfather - in his time of suffering - grandmother helped him.

He was soft and his face was shy.

Grandmother loved him and so do I.

These stories are my memories.

These stories of my memories,

of the laughter of children doing naughty things

and by tradition no one could scold us

These stories are my memories

These stories are my memories,

my conversation with my grandmother

was like a day before.

I saw her face so clearly.

These stories are my memories.