Verandah

Verandah I am not as fond of the verandah As my mother is She leaves the door unlocked Lest the verandah Feel left out, cold and lonely. In the morning As she hastily opens the door The verandah sits waiting With the milk packet, the newspaper Or the new born kittens of the night before In its lap. Mother rubs mirror-clean The verandah With the softest velvet cloth. In the heat of the noon, She sleeps pressing close to its belly. Perhaps the verandah Creeps in to the kitchen Quietly through open doors When alone. During nights of genie dreams Could the verandah Lead my home-bound mother out By stone steps? (Translated From Malayalam by Zahira Rahman)