Set of legos. Bag of crayons. Singing beads of a chilanka.
Warm cup of ghee coffee. Rice, curd and chutney.
Butterflies. Fireflies. And mosquitoes.
Rain on the window. Hum of a harmonium.
Bubblegum. Ice Cream. Milk pedas*.
Beaches. Kites. River boats.
Imaginary friends. Fake brawls.
Red Ribbons. And blue pencils. Yellow boxes.

Cloudy memories of a familiar/unusual childhood.
But
She remembers, with absolute clarity
The dismembered doll and the broken cane.

* An Indian sweet made of milk and sugar

…

Jina Dcruz was born and raised in one of those oddball National Geographic locations. She leads multiple lives trying to be a scientist, researcher, writer, data analytics and visualization enthusiast, and a lifelong learner of all things interesting. She writes poetry and explores food history to escape from existential quandaries.