Rock-a-bye Baby…
This was something I wrote a couple of years back, when S needed to be rocked and rocked to be put to sleep, sometime for an hour at a stretch. Now though, we go to sleep like a good boy, and Mama’s arms don’t ache. Still I look back at those days fondly, and rue the pace at which he is growing.
Aw no mom! Not already! I am just beginning to enjoy with my friends! See, doggy is waiting for me to take him for a walk. And then there is monkey, and my ducky… they all want to play with me. Me too mom, I am not feeling sleepy at all.
Ding Dong….
It’s the doorbell! Dad’s home! Yaaaaayyyy! Now, I can get to play with him too! Oh no mummy! Not so soon! I want to have fun!
Arghh… there she goes, lifting me in her arms and rocking me… with her signature “mmmm….mmmm…mmmm…mmmm….” tune! Let me try to wriggle out. But ouch! Her grip is firm… I would have cried if she was hurting me… but she is not, she’s just firm. I try to twist and turn and somehow get down, but to no avail. She goes on rocking and singing her melancholy tune.
I think of the boy with whom I played today in the park! He looked just like me! And my height too! My mummy and daddy are so taller than me, just like everyone else around me! So it was a pleasant surprise to see someone my height. We had a great time in the swing. Oh! How I love the swing, the way it goes up, up and up in the sky, then comes down with a swoosh! of air. Yummy! Swing is my favorite, followed by the spring duck.
I have so many wonderful things to think about, but my eyes are becoming heavy now. I look at mummy. She has her face close to mine, and I am loving the smell of her face. I touch her cheeks, and she smiles to me, pouting her lips. Her “mmm.. mmm” tune is so soothing. It is lulling my senses. I feel so at peace with the world.
Suddenly there is a big roar in the skies. Fighter jets from the near by air force station have started their sorties. Their trembling roar frightens me, and I cower near my mummy’s bosom. She holds me tight, and whispers into my ears, “It’s all right, I am here.” When she is near, I have nothing to fear.
My eyes start drooping now. Fudgy visions of the swing and the jet flash inside my mind, which seems to be slowly coming to a grinding halt. My eyes close completely, and I feel calm in my mummy’s arms. The world has grown completely dark now….. zzzzz….
***
Yamini gently places Sid on the bed and covers him up snugly with a cozy blanket. She looks at her two-year old son with a smile of satisfaction and pride and turns off the light.