Intense loneliness of a mother, pining for her son, in distant land, the USA, has been captured beautifully in this evocative verse by Sunil.
Hullo!
Yes…Sid?
Hullo?
How are you?
Mama calling, my dear boy. Cannot you recognise my voice?
Yes?
Oh!
Happy?
Yes, me too. Hearing your voice…after so long.
So, how is my daughter-in- law, grandsons?
Oh!
They have forgotten me. All of them.
I am good!
USA? No. Not interested in coming over again.
No. Happy in the ancestral home near the river and the rubber plantations. Love the green
hills and their native scents.
Remember those rubber farms, Sid? Other side of the river. Yes. We used to go for the
picnics.
Your dad had planted those plants for the prosperity of the family. He is no more…his
memories linger. They are alive. I hear him coughing.
Hullo?
Hi there?
Cannot hear me?
OK. Going for office, Sunny.
OK. I will…I will call you up tomorrow. Take care. My nurse is here. Taking away the phone
from shaking hands.
I know, I know… the telephone line is dead…dead for years.
Who can stop a mother talking to a son?
OK. OK.
Take care.
Say to family I miss them all. Wish to see them. I pray to God for a re-union.
Know you want but do not have time for me. Do not worry, child. Be happy!
Bye!
Bye-bye, my dear son.
©Sunil Sharma
Pix from Net.
A humble word-worshipper: catcher of elusive sounds, meanings and images. Published 27 creative and critical books— joint and solo. A winner of, among others, the Panorama Golden Globe Award-2023, and, Nissim Award for Excellence-2022 for the novel Minotaur. His poems were included in the prestigious UN project: Happiness: The
Delight-Tree: An Anthology of Contemporary International Poetry, 2015.
Editor of the monthly Setu journal (English):
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