Thursday, July 12, 2012

The charm of my old woman


I remember my grandmother sitting on the verandah, talking to herself and reliving her life backwards during those days. 

Of fallen petals and dried down fountains
Of fulfilled desires and unfulfilled dreams
Of silent summers and trips up the mountains
Of the old mirror and its powders and creams



Of the village’s tales and long forgotten stories
Of a bandaged leg and the terrible fall
Of the marriage vows and the kitchen curries
Of ‘Ma’ and ‘Baba’, and the photo on the wall



Of the treasured memories of married life
Of the first word she taught him to write
Of the joys and tears of a mother and a wife
Of the bond she shared with him till ‘white’



Of the eyes that saw 93 autumns and 94 springs
Of fallen petals, her beginnings and endings.

-Poorvi

Hindi words used as a part of this poem:

Ma-> referred to her 'mother' lovingly
Baba-> referred to her 'father' affectionately




20 comments:

  1. Words fail me ,so poignant when we think of our departed elders.

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  2. Good One Poorvi. I liked the way you used the math, 93 autumns, 94 springs. And btw, nice wishlist to have. Unique! :)

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    1. Thank you :). I have to edit this one - eating crepes is done.

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  3. Walking down her memories lane....Beautiful poem Poorvi :)

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    1. Thanks Valli :) My Granma's memories were such vivid ones .. inspired this one..

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  4. That is so beautiful and heartfelt, Poorvi! I loved it.

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  5. Loved this Poorvi..you made good use of the structure of a poem to divulge other things :) its fresh.

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    1. I was trying a sonnet, normally I go with 'ababa...' scheme but this time I tried a different style. Thanks :)

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks Jaish.. err.. is it Jayashree as the full name in any case? :)

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks :) .. 'Vinisha', haven't heard that name before, very unique :)

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  8. very beautifully written, poorvi.

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