Childhood dreams

By Renton de Alwis

I had a dream,
not one, many
I had dreams
not of becoming a doctor
engineer, teacher or lawyer.

Of butterflies
roaming in the wild
to fill my life
paint in water colour
soft shades
rainbows,

fly a kite
watch it reach the clouds
snake, bat,  peacock
shape make skies

like my father
ride bicycle
each day back and forth
home to work
work to home

like my mother
cook meals
for all
make it taste
greatest ever
eat after all others
scrape the bottom
of the pots and pans

like my uncle
Daha mama
who bit off words
of each page alphabet
each day at school
and dropped out
to love
my cow and calf
give them grass and water

like my aunt
Sudhu amma
care to bring
bags of kirala
on Sundays from Panadura

like my other uncle
Eddie mama
be the chandia of the village
fight all evil
wipe them clean off
the face of the earth

I had dreams
had dreams!