I
WISH I WERE A CHILD AGAIN
It was one of those days when I
just wanted to lock myself up and cry till I was out of tears. But I was not
ready for arched eyebrows, concern and bombardment of questions. So I made a
way to a garden nearby my house fighting back all the tears. I sat there for
hours when a joyful cry of someone brought to me in real world. I found myself
in the midst of children playing hopscotch with unbelievable cheery smiles,
like they were on the top of the world. I was agog so I pushed myself to look
around and found the same grin not only on every child’s face over there but
also on elders’ face who accompanied them. Just then somewhere a child fell and
got his knee scrapped which made his eyes go all watery. But as soon as this
beautiful lady, none other than his mother, kissed him, the pain seemed to
wither away. I wish it was that easy now, just walk into a huge garden and
suddenly all your problems seem so far away, the only pain was skinned knees
and elbows and cure for them was a peck on a cheek or sugary words.
Suddenly a sense of nostalgia
swept over me which was abstruse. I know this is going to sound really filmy
and cheesy but I ‘did’ see myself playing in that very garden with a twinkle in
my eye, a wide smile without my milk teeth, as innocent as dove and dancing in
shores of love. I missed that time when my broken words were treat for
everyone, when I had nothing to care about but everything was taken care
of. Betrayal for me was just when I was
given the smaller piece of cake and somebody got the bigger one. That was the
time when my weirdest paintings were considered to be art and jealousy was only
when my classmate got new pencil box. It was the time when my singing aloud was
not considered madness; I could speak anything I wish, blab silly words and
live like a free bird, ignorant of the cruel world. Single candy floss lit up
my little world. The time was so different then… So serene…
So pure…
But the pages of life have turned
now…
Scrapped knees have changed to broken
hearts. Bigger piece of cake has changed to need for power. Paper boats have
sailed away with innocence and genuine smile. It’s the time when you have to
deal with your own problems, heal your mental wounds on your own, wear a façade
which hides all your emotions. It’s the time when everything has changed for
good or worse, when you can just ‘dream’ of being a child again. People have
become mechanized object with a heart like a dead stone. I so want to get away from all hustle &
bustle, away from tension to wrestle, with every bit of maturity I attain “I
wish I were a child again!”
