strollin

I remember as a child
back in my homeland
Strollin to the marketplace
holding mama's hand

Flip flops flappin in the sand,
the heat of the noonday sun
Beads of sweat dripping off my face
wishing my trek was done

Mom in front, big sis in back
umbrellas over our heads
I would pick a sweet bouquet
from the dusty roadside bed

I would always give them to mama
and she said they smelt so sweet
Though they were only wild flowers
picked from along the street

She always praised my thoughtfullness
and never ever did she say
That these were only flowers
that I picked along the way

I think that if I had bought them
from inside a fancy store
Mama would not have loved them
or appreciated them any more

Those days of youth are long over
but I relive them in my head
Strollin, umbrellas and flip flops,
picking flowers from a roadside bed