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| Supatra Sen |
My Other Half
Do I know you?
Asked the worn-out figure
You should…
The terse reply
Of the young curly head
You look familiar
Yet I seem to have forgotten…
Maybe an old acquaintance
Yes… an old acquaintance
The oldest
Whom you buried
With time
A tragic end
Slow poisoning
Of neglect and suppression
Unending tasks
Of always explaining your stand
Of never having been left with any choice…
Horrendous…
And you say
I did it!!
Of course… without a thought
There were warnings too…
Ailments… disease…
You asked for help… from others
Friends, advisors… physicians
I was subdued
The answers were within
All the time… always
And now what?
You return to avenge
Haven’t you seen enough
I’ve been waiting
Across space and time
To be reunited
With you
My part… my Being
The old cleaned the mirror
Of its dust and dime
Two figures in striking contrast
Reflection? Illusion?
Or mere hallucination…
Two pairs of eyes meet
The same trust
The same dreams
Sixty years apart…
***
Daughter of the House
The only sister
Of five brothers
The only girl child
Of that generation
Protected and cosseted
Treated as a queen
Against societal norms
Education and elegance
A lethal combination
But that too
Without any qualm
A saree a day
Teachers for music and culinary skills
The sitar… and the piano
Baking… also grinding
In precise blend
Everything nearly everything
For that ideal life
Marriage by choice
Not by compulsion
The life companion
Self-selected
A fire-brand lady
Obedient… within limits
Beautiful… not petite
Built small but standing tall
Complete… with flaws
And then Time’s vicious bends
A single mother
Merely 36 then…
No complaints
No regrets
She –
The lone tigress
Dangerous to mess with
Fiercely protecting her cubs
Broken… yet towering
Three decades
And unending battles
Health the price
Stability the recompense
The Sons
Men of worth
The Grandson
Loving and protective
So much like her long departed brothers
And ever-doting father
The cycle now nearly complete
Almost the last page
Of her story…
Duties done
Time to move on
Bid the final adieu
To blend with the Almighty
A cold misty day in January
Another new bride had arrived
A silent welcome
Her battered and bruised body
A tale of syringes and drips
But the baton had been handed over
She had seen it all
Peace…
At last
As the mourners silently
Filed out
Heads bowed
The scarlet Rudra-palash
Adorned her path
In magnificent splendor
Fallen
Yet untrampled…
***
Nothing to add comment, but to feel and fill. So emotional, ignition of personal hidden treasure.
ReplyDeleteЁЯЩП...remain indebted
ReplyDeleteYou have always been a towering figure, Ma'am...an inspiration for all generation of students..I still remember your words when you told a broken me (because that time I used to work as a part-time teacher in school having no permanent post),"No work is small!"
ReplyDeleteYou all kept me going...be there always !
DeleteMy other half reminds me of the ending of Umrao Jaan, the 1981 film...cinematically speaking, the mood so beautifully captured!
ReplyDeleteWon't thank you...gratitude and love
Delete
ReplyDeleteMarriage by choice
Not by compulsion
The life companion
Self-selected
A fire-brand lady
Obedient… within limits
Beautiful… not petite
Built small but standing tall
Complete… with flaws
And then Time’s vicious bends
A single mother
Suparta ji
As a reader the words take me to the horizon where a beautiful view created is reflected
With different perspectives
Congrats
Thank you ever so much ! Deeply touched...
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThank you ever so much ! Remain ever indebted...
ReplyDelete