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Nights are …
when i wonder
most
about the quilts i padded for years
with my old cotton sarees-
Each piece was original,
with beauty of its own.
Woven with
threads of warmth and happiness,
breathtaking in complexity
astonishing in simpleness
sewn in delicate silken threads
with hope and faith to last....
Passion will overrule compassion
--Bring total demolition
And then, one day......
.... the invisible holes started emerging..
And then, one day......
.... the invisible holes started emerging..
the laughing motifs tumbled down my walls
I slinked in a corner, where colors couldn’t play
pranks with me…but,
memories kept mocking
and I became emotionally destroyed
and I became emotionally destroyed
---beyond resurrection!
a wasted mother’s love grieved...sighed...howled
standing in the debris of house-wrecks
Depression became my mate!
It's a ritual to let adult children drift away,
when they prefer
the company of their peers
but, it's hard to take their disinterest personally,
or to keep reaching toward them
when they show so
little interest
in reaching
back...
Today, the yarns stare at me like a ruthless watcher
I have lost my reason and will
I have lost my reason and will
It is enough for me....more than enough
On Mother's Day! The statistics are shocking: one in every three senior
citizens in India is a victim of abuse. Why are the elderly being left in the
cold by their children in a land that reveres the old?
The quilts (kanthas as we call them) are lovingly
created from the remnants of worn garments, embroidered with motifs with tales
drawn from a rich local repertoire and used especially in the celebration of
births in Bengal.
This is a painfully beautiful post, my friend. It is indeed sad that many cultures (including my own) throw away their elderly. Respect is no longer given to those who have earned it through the love of their blood, sweat and tears. It is both a shame and a sin. Peace.
ReplyDeleteTrue and well versed.
ReplyDeleteZQ
This is very poignant, Panchali! It is very sad, in whichever country, that elders are left cold and alone. They deserve better for all they have given!
ReplyDeleteThis is so melancholic... yet its beautiful.. it covers the harsh reality that children today.. who're supposed to support their parents in old age.. ruthlessly leave them to live their own lives.. I felt the pain and longing in your lines..!
ReplyDeleteHope you never face such a thing.. and are forever surrounded by your loved ones.. Ameen :)
Lots of love
Sanaa
It is often the way of the young to be self-absorbed. I suspect in many cases, people realize upon an elder's death they should have taken more time........I see this happening generationally.........as each generation becomes old in turn and learns some of life's lessons. I remember a story my grandma told when she was feeling badly for not having taken enough time with her mother, in the years when her kids were young.....and I now regret that, even though I spent many many hours every week with her, that I did not spend more.......there is never enough time.......your poem is very moving, my friend.
ReplyDeletelike the little silken 'run' stitches of the kantha this poem is woven with shiny words that take us to the depth of our being..heartless youths of today will learn lessons in their old age...sigh...
ReplyDeleteOh the imagery of quilts and memories.. You tie this up with the memory of elders so well... So utterly moving, I love the way a quilt represent the memory of the garments once worn. So much like life itself,
ReplyDeleteThe state of afairs is very bad for the elderly now a days,.The quilts ( that you call Kanthas, we in Himachal they are called "Khandolus" and are made from old clothes) they are again a very good reminder of good old simple days of elderly love and family love.
ReplyDeletePoignantly composed Panchali. I always associate quilts to mothers and grandmothers. Personally I can't see myself abandoning or abusing my parents..
ReplyDeleteA moving poem depicting the reality in many places.Where there are many children,,the old parents are virtually auctioned for deciding who will keep them for how long.
ReplyDeleteYes it is hard when children seem to turn their backs on parents but sometimes it is a temporary thing and they do return. The statistics for abuse of elders in India is shocking to me.
ReplyDeleteLove the art of quilts with motifs entwined....sadly for parents children leave, but is that not the law of life?...'empty nest' - familiar to many parents...glad, when 'abandoned' parents find their purpose in sharing their gifts and skills with others.... :)x
ReplyDeleteInsaan ne bahut taraqqi kar li hai aur ab hum us muqaam pe pahunch gaye hain jahan paise rishton se zyada ahmiyat rakhne lagte hain. Material pursuits are so overwhelming...
ReplyDeleteTis sad when (adult) children drift away from the comfort and love of their parents, seemingly outgrowing them. Our world has become terribly selfish...
ReplyDeleteAnna
There's so much pain in these words...and yet why am I not surprised? I have seen my own old neighbour being discarded like an old rag by his only son and I like most people just watched helplessly while the old man was left in the care of some nameless shelter after having toiled all his life to do what he did for his child.
ReplyDeleteWhat a poignant piece - i can certainly empathise with the emotion of 'enough'...
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautifully sad allegorical piece which reminds me that I have to be nicer to my mom. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad realistic tale and so beautifully written. I always wanted to learn to do a quilt. I will one day
ReplyDeleteThe sadness of children leaving home. Well captured.
ReplyDelete