One such below, that brought back some memories of a friend's mother, who lived with her in Mumbai, returned to her native land a few years ago, but is now no more.
(photo by Kavi Arasu)
Kolam
at the door,
and she appears,
with a
genuine
toothless smile,
vibhuti*** on forehead,
as you enter
her home
with her daughter-in-law.
Mumbai
doesn't
overpower her,
she takes it in her
slightly bent,
but brave stride....
And she
bequeaths you
a welcoming nod,
asks her
daughter-in-law
something in her language,
smiles at you
going in;
to emerge again
amidst aromas
of coffee,
and
homemade banana chips.
She bids
you get comfortable,
then settles down
by a seat at the window;
looks up
at the building
next door
rising to the skies;
hands pointing,
she beams,
and
you don't need
any language
to know
that it's a proud Mom,
pointing to the big office
in Mumbai,
of her favorite son....
*** Vibhuti : sacred ash from worship/puja
at the door,
and she appears,
with a
genuine
toothless smile,
vibhuti*** on forehead,
as you enter
her home
with her daughter-in-law.
Mumbai
doesn't
overpower her,
she takes it in her
slightly bent,
but brave stride....
And she
bequeaths you
a welcoming nod,
asks her
daughter-in-law
something in her language,
smiles at you
going in;
to emerge again
amidst aromas
of coffee,
and
homemade banana chips.
She bids
you get comfortable,
then settles down
by a seat at the window;
looks up
at the building
next door
rising to the skies;
hands pointing,
she beams,
and
you don't need
any language
to know
that it's a proud Mom,
pointing to the big office
in Mumbai,
of her favorite son....
*** Vibhuti : sacred ash from worship/puja
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this one! Have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
Lovely words and it sounds so familiar even though I do not live in Mumbai.
ReplyDeleteRemind me of my Granny:)these words exactly portray her:)Thank you:)
ReplyDeleteSylvia Thank you ! And hope your weekend is wonderful too !
ReplyDeleteMridula Thank you ! These ladies are so wonderful and impressive themselves, Mumbai is totally incidental to the scene...
Raksha Thank you. My namaskars to your Granny ....
Beautiful! Just so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLoved these lines :)
'she takes it in her
slightly bent,
but brave stride....
'
a beautiful tribute ....
ReplyDeleteloved your poem on my post too!
made me so so nostalgic right now! i misssss my aaji a lot! :)
ReplyDelete