Sandbox

A sojourn took me to a beautiful sandy shore Dreams abounding that I could be Like any other child I had read about To pile up all the sand in my view And build my multitude of dreams That I believed would turn into reality With every passing day In an open box I placed a wooden board That I had carried along I built a cottage and not a castle For I knew I was no queen From the jasmine sellers I bought a garland To demarcate my pristine garden Two ice cream sticks were the sentinels Guarding the gate A few shells, some of which were half broken Made a passage to the open door Neither the heat spell nor the burning skin Deterred me from completing my dream With the dimming hues of the sunlight I carefully shut my world in the sandbox We travelled back home with my eyes focussed Only on the box lying unstirred in my lap On reaching home I placed it on my table Tears streamed down non-stop To see the wilted jasmine flowers Crushed under the debris of my home With swollen eyes I lay in bed Sniffling every now and then And it was then that I awakened To the strong smell of jasmines Reviving in me to re-build my dreams Tomorrow I would build a more stable home....... October 14, 2016 For Anthony Slausen