I Remember, I Remember

I remember, I remember
The regal arjun trees
The dahlias and chrysanthemums
Abuzz with golden bees.
The baobab and the naglingam
Beside the gravel track,
Greeting us after the hols
As we all came back.

I remember, I remember,
The evening as it spread
Like a westward ecstasy of
Violet, pink and red.
The conch shells as the darkness fell
The tinkle of the bell,
The vespers rising in the hall
In a choral swell.

I remember, I remember,
The lamp-rows in the night
The corridors decked in flickering flames
That we had set alight.
The bamboo frames of firework
That made us wait too long,
The songs we sang in festivals
Back when we were young.

I remember, I remember,
The silent goddess white
She stood there watching over us
Through every day and night.
She never said a word, and now
I think that I know why
Her voice was lost somewhere between
‘I love you’ and ‘Goodbye’.