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HOME
Madhav Raj, 10A
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What a warm word, what a security net,
I've traveled far and wide but found nothing to beat it yet.
A mother, a father, a brother, a sister,
Grandparents, aunts, a dog, familiar walls, sights and smells.
Oddities, perfections, euphoria, depressions,
Where can you get such a collection of expressions?
Love surrounds you, naggers hound you,
Well wishers mean well, even though they are as irritating as hell!
Well done, could be better, you're the best,
Eat less, play more, play less, study more.
God give me strength so this I can endure.
But at the end of the day, no matter what,
When all around you is not what you sought,
There is a voice that constantly rings,
"Nothing else matters," it soothingly sings.
"Come home, it will be alright,"
Such is the power of “home”; its great might,
Warnings come in droves,
But forgiveness and caring dwell in love.
Home sends you out better prepared,
To face life with strength and not be scared,
Home takes you in whenever you feel,
The world has tossed you about like a heel.
A palace, a hovel, no matter what dwelling,
Love, happiness, wisdom, all support our learning.
Tolerance, patience are inmates too,
I wish they weren't a neglected hue.
"O give me a home, my Lord," I say,
“Where I can return everyday.”
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BOOK REVIEW
THE NANNY DIARIES by
Emma Mc Laughlin and Nicola Kraus
I'd heard about this book and knew it was going to be absolutely fantastic. There runs a very thin line between full frontal feminism and the boundaries women are willing to challenge. The "Nanny Diaries" lies conveniently along this line, making this a must read for all.
Set in Manhattan, the one neighborhood we all love to read about, Mc Laughlin and Kraus tell us about Nanny, the everyday New Yorker, struggling to graduate from NYU and the demands of being, well, on her own. She earns her extra cash by babysitting for wealthy Park Avenue families, like the x family, who have more interpersonal relations than any soap opera character and thus things get more interesting…
It is in fact the first commandment of "Nanny-hood"; Thou shall not interfere with the personal matters of employers. Once Nanny infringes these limits, she gets herself into an ugly mess, which involves protecting the mental state of a four year old, her own respectable levels of dignity, and of course what can only be described as a "wild hunt" to stop the "3rd woman" and her prying ways.
It's a story packed with subtle humor and twisting sentiments, set at a very modern backdrop. Nanny puts herself through the ultimate test; living through the demands of servitude. For someone who gets puked on now and then, works sixteen hours a day, only to be rewarded with more blatant "punishment," Nanny manages to learn a lot about herself and the art of dealing with people: lessons she'd carry on for life.
A must read for anyone who wants to know about the new age woman who'd do anything to get her way. Besides, what makes it so believable, is that Mc Laughlin and Kraus were babysitters themselves. They're just standing up for babysitters everywhere!
by Alisha Damodaran, 12 B
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