Oh! Grandfather, my dear Grandfather,
My tiny little hands felt secure in your big, firm hands.
When my parents waved me goodbye
From the train’s window
Tears stroked down my cheeks.
I felt all alone in this world.
But then you held my tiny little hands.
I felt secure in your hand’s firmness,
In your smell of sweat,
Mixed with salt and cologne.
I jumped up and down,
Enjoying my time with you.
You made up for my parents absence.
I felt secure in your hand’s firmness,
In your smell of sweat,
Mixed with sweat and cologne.
The rain came down heavily that day,
So heavily as if the nature was protesting against something bad.
Your hands held me firm and led me to school.
Rain was still pouring down heavily,
As if the nature was protesting against something bad to happen.
You waved at me at my school’s entrance.
I felt so bad leaving you,
I felt so alone.
Do you still remember,
me coming back soaked in the rain,
just to wave at you once more?.
Alphabets and nursery rhymes surrounded me,
When I suddenly spotted my relatives at the school.
They had come to take me back home.
I felt so happy going home,
bunking school.
Alas! I realized that day
That I will never –ever catch your smell again
your smell of sweat mixed with
salt and cologne.
I grew up to be a teenager.
You slowly started fading from my memory.
I became so immersed in my world.
But one day while searching my old cup board
I saw your old shirts neatly folded.
I smelled it
And there came back memories,
memories of a smell of sweat
mixed with salt and cologne.