Mother

a poem by Jayati Chowdhury

Sowed and pruned months back
The greatest gift – the life
Lay in her womb
She relinquished to the power of pain
Only to cradle the flawless innocence
Devoting herself to the cause so holy
Mothering the need and yearn of her little one
Taking heed to neither her anguish nor her despair
An angel in a human form.
Pottering the clay to shape spirits within
The bestowed kisses on the cheeks
Featherlike caress upon the hair
Her fertile love watered the bud
And sprouted it to blossom
Prophesying her child’s future
She blended her wisdom with his will
Her prudent passion bit by bit
Sculpted her precious to sail alone.
With love, endurance, restraint and tears
She heralds the time of departure
Miles apart she still reads him well
Her mind consents to what his heart reveres
She has taught him how to love
The scent of love around him
Despite the travesties of time
Her wrinkled eyes yearn for her child.