This poem gives a peek into a little girl’s heart and how this fast-moving world moulds her into a butterfly from the naivety of the cocoon. Kamala Das in her writings share her own experience and undergo.

Poet observes the nature and tries to draw her fantasies in the sand as she plays with her brother. Along with these cherish moments, she also comes to experience the anxiety, fear and the agony of her 86-year-old great grandmother for their ancestral house which is in a horrendous image. The conflict between the gratifying fantasies of a child and the bitter realities that money making is not easy and this lead to the defeat of her promise made to her great grandmother that she will keep the house alive.

These and other conflicts show that things and situations should be dealt with pragmatism. Fantasies are good servant but bad master! The bitter reality should always be taken under consideration while moving forward in life.