Grandchildren

My neighbourhood goes dark at eight, every night. Our share of the half-hour visits of quiet power cuts. Tonight was different, however. The load-shedding was welcomed. I did not hear the usual "Lah lip lait!" Or the high-pitched female voices That typically chorused in detestation from nearby houses. Tonight was different. The darkness took its place Like a sleepy grandmother Compliantly telling her grandchildren stories, Simply because she is a grandmother. But we don't even listen to these stories, Because we've heard them a hundred times before. We're just waiting for the current to crawl back in Like grandchildren waiting for their grandmother to fall asleep.

Annotations: “Lah lip lait!”- Khasi dialect. Translates to “The light is gone” or “The light has been switched off”.

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