Her Day ......

Reposting from 2 years ago ....in honor of the day .




Some say
a new star appears
in the sky
gazing down
in benevolence...
But
now,
no longer
with us,
she is more
the Banyan tree
rooted firmly
in my yard,
in her native Earth....



Gnarled wisdom trunk
rising up
spreading in
green protection
across her children,
and their children,
and new roots,
the earthy sensible sap
absorbed and disseminated
a bit here,
a little more there,
a fine balance
amidst
various willful branches,
some old,
some carefree,
some troubled, and some new.

An understanding shelter
in life storms,
restful shade
on a burning day,
a conspiratory wink
as the neighbor ladies
wound the sacred thread
around her torso
celebrating Vatapurnima;
Bending hugely,
indulging grand kids
swinging
on her,
a glare at
a daughter
trying to impose
her avoirdupois
on a hanging root...

She isn't gone,
and she doesn't need a Day;
She stands,
brave ,
in the wind,
with her young and old,
gathered
in her folds,
a virtual hand
reassuringly resting
and patting
the troubled shoulder,
of someone,
for whom,
everyday,
in Life
is Mother's Day....


Submitted for the BlogAdda Mothers Day Contest 2010 :




Winner of the BlogAdda Mother’s Day contest May 2010

Auspicious Evenings......

Blogger and FB friend, dentist, photographer, and travel raconteur, Dr Kavita Saharia, often posts photographs of things native to the state of Assam, in NorthEast india, where she lives. She recently posted this wonderful photograph of a flower, that is called "Godhuli Gopal" in Assam.

While the flower looked familiar, the naming of this flower in Assamese was a delight. "Godhuli" refers to the evenings when the cattle return home kicking up the dust ("dhuli"), or as they say , "when the cows come home". This flower, it turns out,  blooms in the late afternoons ....:-))

It is interesting to know that this flower is widely grown across India,China, Peru,and Mexico, and is called Mirabilis jalapa (The four o'clock flower or marvel of Peru)!

A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers of different colors can be found simultaneously on the same plant. Another interesting point is a color-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink color. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet.

We call this plant Gulbaxi in my language, Marathi, and I have childhood memories, of plucking these, in several colors,  and twisting them into wreathes to decorate the hair, something all little girls did in my " simple, non-e childhood"....:-))

(photo by Kavita Saharia)

Tired
and pale,
but with a tinge of pink,
she's been at it
since the morning,
sweat shining
on her brows.

Green experienced mamis
crowding around,
encouraging
and helping her along,
themselves refreshed
with
a cool sprinkle.

The Sun
prepares to depart,
wistful
at having missed the event,
when
amidst a rustle of the green
there emerges,
a young one,
pale and pink
and eyes tightly shut.

She breathes easy now,
the glow returns.
And she waits,
agog,
with the  accompanying greens,
to see,
what color
the new arrival's eyes
are to be.....

Encounters of the fluid kind.....

Encounters at Aquariums. Noticed by my friend Sylvia, in her post, as a part of the Weekend Reflections series .


(photo by Sylvia Kirkwood)

Some,
sitting with their mothers,
held safe
all wrapped up and fed
on the counter
of the
aquarium display,
unaware of their
luck....



And some,
separated at birth,
to live
alone,
in a small
watery enclosure
with fake trees,
artificial lights,
and
piped air...

A moment of
realization
as a vision
of mother
appears
fluid,
in his memory,
a gift
from the little one
watching from outside....