Mitali Sen
You were quiet and calm,
Even in the storm
Through shattered things,
And childish wars-
My sister and I,
Fierce in our youth,
Through my failed exams,
My silent shame,
You stood beside me
When Baba flared
When the world was cruel,
When I was alone
When even I
Could not believe in me-
You did
You were the rock
To which I clung.
Oh Ma,
You were there
Since the first breath
Of my becoming
Now your steps are slow,
But still your spirit glows-
A stubborn flame,
In a softening wind,
You hear my voice,
You see my face,
And even now
You know-
Unerringly-
If I am troubled.
And yet,
Your thoughts begin to drift,
Like leaves caught
In a stream I cannot follow.
You gaze beyond me now
To places I cannot see
And I know
The thing I fear
Is drawing near.
I lay awake at night
My mind a turbulent sea,
Pain rising,
Like tides beneath the moon
How will I endure
A world
That no longer holds you?
Sometimes-
I long to follow,
To walk the path you soon must take
But then,
I see my Boys-
Their need for Love-
And I remember
They too deserve
What I once had in you
Others have borne
This hollowing ache
And I-
I shall bear it too,
For I know
You would have it no other way.
The power in me
Will weather that sorrow
When it comes
For I shall whisper
In to the stillness
I too shall pass,
In God’s own time-
And then,
You and I
Shall be again
As we once were.