When Life was Simple

When we lived beneath thatch-roofed houses, Curry simmered in pots, Flames flickered from firewood gathered From hills and thickets. When bullock carts creaked Under paddy loads, Harvests reaped from fertile fields, Bicycles spun on dusty roads. When sounds of hand-pounding paddy Echoed from homes everyday, Women weaving at fly- shuttle looms Sometimes till late night. And when caws of the crows And chirpings of tea cricket at dusk heard. Then we helped one another - Life was simple,self reliant,and beautiful.