A Candlelight Dinner With My Mother
A poem to go by...
When my mother was a baby, she would go on dinner dates with my grandpa and grandma. She has loved them all her life.
When my mother was a child, she used to go on dinner dates with my grandma. She still clings to her memories .
A little older, she used to go on dates with my uncle and aunts. My mother was the youngest among the five siblings that she shared a close bond with.
After my mother got married, she would go on dates with my father. To make up for the lost time.
When I was a child, I would follow my mother everywhere in the world wherever she went. I never left her sight. She never left mine. We were like a set of peapods — inseparable.
Out of, all my siblings, I was the troublemaker in my house.
Every time, I played in the house, I would break her crockery sets that I used to play with during my fake house play acts. My siblings and I would hide behind curtains after hearing the footsteps of my mother. Later, I would be scolded by my mother since I was the main preparator behind my mother’s favourite crockery sets.
After getting scolded by my mother, my siblings would flee the scene, and I would cry to the top of my voice. And I would try to coax my mother into forgiving me for my acts.
My mother was a headstrong lady, seeing my acts she wouldn’t even budge from her stance. By that time, my tiny brain had exhausted all his efforts. Even my older siblings ideas were of no help to me. Except one idea, my siblings and I had planned a dinner date for my mother, since my mother was a family person and was fond of dates.
We had set the table in our dining area, soups and sandwiches were served on the table by my two older siblings. The youngest sibling would escort our mother to where the food was kept. I would light the candles. Seeing my mother I would coax her again at dinner. Seeing the happy and excited faces my mother would give in. We all would laugh and dance after the candlelight dinner with my mother.
Now, nearly, after 25 years later, I am still with my mother. Holding her wrinkled hand where she lays in her bed. Not even glancing my way, she gazes at her grandchildren near her bed unable to recognise them. Unable to recognise my siblings. With time, her memory of me, has faded, yet I still love her like I did in the past — inseparable just like a peapod.
fin.
— Smita Sinha
Interpretation of the poem —
The poem is told from the perspective of the child. The main character in the poem is the mother. The poem focuses on the journey of the mother from a child to an adult to an old woman who has Alzheimer's disease. It also focuses on the bond that she has shared with her maternal family members through the food and dinner dates. All her life, she has valued the relationships that she had with her family. She has played the role of a caregiver all her life; she had been the pillar of strength to her children, husband, siblings, and her parents. The children in the poem are primary and secondary characters and through them, their love and small interactions have been shown to the mother. Now she is at the receiving end. She has played different roles at different stages of her life. She has treasured and valued her family time so much that it pains her to lose her family members as they get older — her parents. Just like that her children fear the same thing.
To The Readers —
I am really grateful to you, that you have chosen to read this poem. I hope this poem takes you on a memory lane. I hope you treasure the time and value the relationship you have with your parents. And close up all the gaps you have with them. I hope the message has been directly conveyed through the poem. Give me your feedback, if it needs improvement. I would love to hear from you! :)
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