I remember the first time that I stayed away from home,

it was time to quit being a child.

And so, begins the tale of “Tejas the adult”

in this episode of Man vs Wild!

The first of the symptoms is the homesickness,

That kicks in when you’re in new lands.

It happens sooner than the number of days,

That you can count with the fingers of your hands.

You enter the kitchen, and this creature awaits.

It takes the shape of dishes in the sink.

The more you avoid it the more that it grows.

And what grows with it is the stink.

In the washroom, between you and the comforting shower,

The 8^th wonder of the world stands as hurdle.

This leaning tower of dirty laundry that towers over you.

Is sure to make your blood curdle!

After rubbing and scrubbing and toiling for hours,

When food is all you think about!

You open the fridge and the sight that you see,

Its horror makes you cry out loud!

You realise that the MasterChef in you,

Will have to make do with whatever he has found.

Which is one rotten tomato and almost bad milk,

Because you forgot to do the grocery round.

It was something that we dreamt of

Since we were young and very small

To live alone all on our own

No one to answer to at all!

This wasn’t what we expected

Cos when the expenses get heavier my friend,

The purse gets lighter and the bills longer

And this vacation soon comes to an end.

I call this the Reverse Cinderella phenomenon

And the words that it states are bitter

Where you go from carriages to pumpkins, gowns to rags

And to dirty ‘chappals’ from glass slippers

I could go on and on forever with this

But alas my heart won’t let me do it

As they say you don’t just GO through an experience like this

You most definitely GROW through it.

-Tejas Jaggi