Behind the Smiles

a poem by Sheela K . Sharath

Frail,
eyes lined with age,
smile lines
near the wispy thin mouth,
lank silver hair,
she sits
rocking herself
watching life pass her by!

Once,
she had the world in her grasp.
Today,
her body
stricken with Parkinson’s
she lives in a world
all her own,
smiling the smile of
senility.
She has sadly
outlived
all those she has
mothered!

To
passers by
she looks
like somebody’s
grandmother,
contented,
well cared for.

Death
would be a release,
and yet,
`all things come
to those who wait,’
was not
written with
her in mind.

So she sits,
rocks,
smiles
and hopes!