A
shaft of moonlight
descend
on the pitch-black night
coax
him into seeing its way..
He
gropes to the ledge of the window
Watches
his mother- dejected, embittered, lonely
sitting
with arms around her knees in the doorway
surveying her yesteryears…
Death
of her husband doomed her to this misery.
His
heart goes tripping for the first time…
It
longs to pull her close to his warm shoulders
and
talk …. talk …. talk…. talk
about
the long journey- that…signals raw pain
Mind must speak about the inner plights
….
the wrestle with sickness and Death
has after all come to a halt.
The
cruel wind pinches his eyes
Clearly
their relationship
Has
grown past hate and bitterness,
Years
back, he wouldn't have dared look into her eyes;
Maybe, wouldn't have stayed this long either…
Things
always ended somewhat short of destination…
….with his angrily walking out
And
her screams and heart rending sobs…
His
heart chokes!
Her
frame seems calm now… tight
A
gust of wild wind sweep him
Like
a straw-free and undisputed towards her
He
shuffles forward, sinks near her lap;
Whispers: ' I'm by your side, I'll be there with you'.
His Mother's voice echoes...
‘I’m
ever barren, ever-lonely’
Shock waves float through his body- he rises, gaping!
Realizes
Neglect mount to indifference
Makes human existence complete nonsense, futile…
Emotional
abuse is one of the most prevalent forms of abuse of women by their intimate family and its damage is unquestionably severe, undermining a woman's sense
of worth and independence.
ugh...those last lines...so hard....emotional abuse or neglect is such a horrible thing...painful...
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian for reading. Part of the reason is so easy for people to overlook! Its sad..and painful indeed.
DeleteGood to see you always. :)
What a painfully difficult life. Tragic for those who live it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Mary for being here. Survivor of such abuse often have a hard time. I recently met someone who is actually going through it...hence, the lines just poured . Indifference and neglect actually have a deep and profound effect on the self image and confidence of a person...sad indeed.
DeleteGood to have you here always :)
Such a powerful portrait you paint - the amount of pain she endured is palpable, and the son's efforts seemingly come too late. Very sad, Panchali. I hope the son perseveres and their relationship begins to heal.
ReplyDeleteEmotional abuse is indeed terrible and leaves invisible, yet real, scars on those who suffer.
ReplyDeleteToo late, he is, but he watches--maybe to learn and to help other men see the abuse and the loneliness of women.
ReplyDeleteA sad snapshot of the truth. Well written.
ReplyDeleteZQ
The beautifully crafted but sad lines pluck the heart strings of readers to empathize with the old woman at her plight.
ReplyDeleteVery sad and heart touching.
ReplyDeleteThese hard truths need telling.
ReplyDeleteSo true that loneliness is a bitter living death. If only we never had to regret.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I would say emotional abuse is the most neglected thing that causes immense harm to not only to women but also to kids and men. The perpetrators of such abuse are often close or so called blood relatives who don't understand the impact of such words. Even a single word can singe a person for life and build in insecurity in a person. For example, it is said that Indira Gandhi was deeply offended and hurt during her childhood when she was branded ugly by a close relative (lets not name her as she had refused saying so and as she is no more). Indira Gandhi is said to have struggled to come out of that.
ReplyDeleteI am not feeling emotional abuse in your poem rather a beautiful reconciliation between a mother and her son after many years of misunderstanding and conflict. This is a positive beautiful scene where hearts are softened and healing love is the winning influence.
ReplyDeleteThat is sad .. i can only hope and pray that people dont go through this at all
ReplyDeleteBikram
the realisation came very late....how can he ever fill that barrenness? lovely lines!!
ReplyDeletevery painful lines...beautifully written...a life once neglected turned indifferent...:(
ReplyDeleteGlad to read this post drawing attention to emotional abuse of older women.
ReplyDeleteI liked your initiative to confront this topic before everyone. Beautifully conveyed.
ReplyDeleteVery touching and highlighting various aspects of a relationship, especially loved the oscillation of the emotions back and forth in time.
ReplyDeleteThe lines are so touching ! Emotional abuse is truly heart rending and when its one's own parents, its even more so.
ReplyDeleteBefore I knew where it was leading it, I really liked the way you have portrayed the loneliness of a spouse when the other passes away.
Emotional Abuse!! something to be talked about...
ReplyDeletenicely portrayed allegorically...
They say time heals, but I guess it heals only if love surrounds us...
ReplyDelete