A Night in Vembar

When my tuition student told me that she had been to Vembar to her maternal grandparents' family temple during the weekend, I was engulfed with nostalgia. To me-Vembar means Fun,Frolic and Food! Also,Sun,Sea and Sand!!The nostalgia made me pull down an old scrap book of mine with a poem written by me in 1979 of good old Vembar.Here goes.....(hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!) 

 VEMBAR

The buses merrily horn in

And with a gay din

People excitedly clamber out

Feeling very devout

Seeing their family deity

Amidst all the gaiety.

The aura of tranquility

In this little beach city

Called Vembar, a noun

Among the Coralites most renown,

Is invaded upon

Even before the crack of dawn.

There are mad scrambles

Amidst the brambles

For the best cabins

To spend in like carefree urchins

Three bright summery days

In many lovely ways.

Suddenly the temple bells

Stop pealing, like broken spells.

Serenity is temporarily regained

Making seem the previous din feigned.

The queen of the night smiles proudly,

Amidst her twinkling courtiers, majestically.

The whole camp is asleep

But I stay awake like a lighthouse beep,

Feeling conscious of the light cool breeze

Playing on me like a gentle tease.

And, romantic me hears the roars

Of the wild sea beating upon a smuggler’s oars.

In rhythm the palm trees sway

Like a lively dancing fay.

Through the thorns and palm leaves

The bright moonlight in its splendour cleaves.

And I see in clarity nature’s dearness

Even in the remoteness and wilderness.

And then most gradually

I drift into a sleep, reluctantly;

To dream about the morrow

To spend sans any sorrow-

Frolicking, sea bathing and sunbathing,

And of course, sans dout, PRAYING!!!

Though ,over the years, my interest in going to Vembar has waned, memories of the good times I had there with my family and cousins still linger, with a tinge of excitement!

Reminiscing about Vembar reminds me of the hit song of the 1970s We had joy,we had fun we had seasons in the sun"!!!