naav chali
naani ki naav chali
nina ke naani ki naav chali
lambe safar pe

saman ghar se nikale gaye
naani ke ghar se nikale gaye
idhar se udhar se se nikale gaye
aur naani ki naav me daale gaye
kya kya daale gaye
ek chhadi ek ghadi
ek jhadu ek laadu
ek sanduk ek banduk
ek salwar ek talwar
ek ghode ki jin
ek dholak ke bin
ek ghode ki naal
ek jivar ka jaal
ek lahsun ek aalu
ek tota ek bhalu
ek dora ek dori
ek bora ek bori
ek danda ek jhanda
ek handa ek anda
ek kela ek aam ek pakka ek kaccha
aur tokari me ek billi ka baccha

phir ek magar ne pichha kiya
naani ki naav ka pichha kiya
nina ke naani ki naav ka pichha kiya
phir kya hua
chupke se pichhe se
upar se niche se
ek ek saman khich liya
ek billi ka baccha
ek kela ek aam ek pakka ek kaccha
ek bora ek bori
ek dora ek dori
ek tota ek bhalu
ek lahsun ek aalu
ek jivar ka jaal
ek ghode ki naal
ek dholak ke bin
ek ghode ki jaan
ek talwar ek salwar
ek banduk ek sanduk
ek laadu ek jhadu
ek chhadi ek ghadi
magar naani kya kar rahi thi
naani thi bechari buddhi bahri
nina ki naani thi buddhi bahri
naani ki nind thi itni gahri
itni gahri, kitti gahari
nadiya se gahri
din dopahari, raat ki rani
thanda pani, garam masala
pet me dala, saade sola
pandhra ka pandhra duna tees
tiya paitalish chauke sath
pauna pacchtar chakke nabbe
sathi pichhla nati pisa
number btisa, gale me rassa

The boat departs, the grandmother's boat,
Nina's grandmother's boat, on a journey long and remote.
Goods from the home, gathered and brought,
From grandmother's home, meticulously sought,
From here and there, items retrieved and caught,
Into the grandmother's boat, carefully wrought.

What was placed? A cane, a watch's gleam,
A broom, a sweet, a chest, a gun's extreme.
A salwar's fold, a sword's cold dream,
A horse's saddle, a vibrant theme,
A drum's soft beat, a horseshoe's grace,
A net for jewels, in time and space.
Garlic, potato, a parrot's flight,
A bear's embrace, in fading light.
A thread, a string, a sack's deep hold,
A pouch to keep, a story told.
A staff, a flag, a vessel's core,
An egg, a mango, at the shore.
A ripe fruit's hue, a raw delight,
And in the basket, a kitten's plight.

Then a crocodile, with eyes of dread,
Pursued the boat, where souls are led.
Chased Nina's grandmother's boat, the words unsaid.
And what transpired, a shadowed deed?
Silently, secretly, from above, from below,
Each item snatched, a silent blow.
The kitten small, the mango's grace,
The ripe and raw, lost without trace.
The pouch and sack, the string unbound,
The thread that's lost, without a sound.
The parrot gone, the bear's despair,
The garlic, potato, in empty air.
The jewel net, the horseshoe's plight,
The drum's soft beat, vanished from sight.
The saddle gone, the sword's cold fire,
The salwar lost, a deep desire.
The gun, the chest, the sweets so grand,
The broom, the cane, from life's command.
The watch that ticked, now nevermore,
The treasures lost, upon the shore.

But what of the grandmother, frail and old?
Nina's grandmother, the story told.
The grandmother deaf, a tale unfolds,
Her sleep profound, in depths of gold.
So deep her slumber, a river's flow,
Deeper than rivers, the shadows grow.
Midday sun, the night's dark queen,
Cold water flows, a vibrant scene.
Warm spices stirred, within her core,
Sixteen and a half, of life's store.
Fifteen doubled, thirty in all,
Forty-five, the shadows fall.
Sixty's echo, seventy-five's plea,
Ninety's whisper, wild and free.
The number thirty-two, a memory's trace,
A rope around her neck, in this empty space.