On board the City of Canterbury
Seven days sailing to Madras steadily
Western food always on table
Eating such bland food unable
Deck passengers rough it out
Cabins deep down humid and hot
Spending time on deck to seize
Chance to enjoy the ocean breeze
Andaman Nicobar islands halfway
Passengers to the railings make their way
A fleeting glimpse of land
A coastline with sparkling sand
Rough seas making ship rise and fall
Man overboard an alarm call
Making a wide slow circle
Waving man in water a miracle
Man soon disappeared under water
To make up time ship moving on
A sad day for all on board
In a rough sea disaster falling overboard
Off the Coromandel coast
Distant hills a welcoming view for most
Tears of joy shouts and clapping
Everyone happy and cheering
Approaching the harbor at night
On shore cars making their way in dim light
Ships anchor cast for the night
Passengers to disembark at day break
A long wait needing much patience
For immigration customs health clearance
At last left port with luggage
To a lodge near central station managed
A sleepless night with bed bugs giving us a fright
Entrained for Olavakode junction that night
An overnight train ride
Excitement hard to hide
To Puthiyamkom made our way
Visit to father`s parents to pay
Tears of joy all around
For aged parents their son now found
Our family thought lost in a fiery war
Seeing us again faces of relief they bore
At Nemmara teary eyed my mother`s family
My grandparents aunts welcome us dearly
Settling in to a rural setting
Lost family contacts remaking
My cousins relatives aunts
All seem happy with little wants
In Nemmara the next three years I spent
For a high school education bent
Needing a lot of thought and action
Another story for another occasion
M P Prabhakar
20.10.2015
PJ
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