My Mother At Sixty six ( Class 12th English)

My Mother At Sixty six

(By Kamala Das)  

Introduction :

In this poem, the poetess is commenting on the relationship between a mother and a daughter when they cannot afford to be together for long. The poetess is going to catch the plane at Cochin. Her old mother, pale and sick is also accompanying her to the airport. The mother looks colourless like a dead body. She is unlikely to live for long. The poetess doubts if she will be able to meet her again. She looks out of the car and finds young trees racing past. She also notices happy children running out of their houses. They stand for a healthy and hopeful life. The old mother is nearing her end. The poetess becomes shaky. But she tries to cheer up the old woman. 

With a smiling face, she promises to see her mother again.

Summary :

The poetess was on her way back to Cochin, the previous Friday morning to catch a flight. Her mother was seated beside her in the car. The old woman started feeling drowsy. She had her mouth open. Her face looked pale and ash-

coloured as that of a dead body. The poetess became panicky. She thought that her mother would not live long. She was deeply pained.

She tried to overcome her fear. She looked out of the window. The young trees appeared to be running back at full speed. She also saw cheerful children coming out of their homes. They were in sharp contrast to her own aged mother. They reached the airport and passed through the formal security check. From the distance of a few yards, the poetess looked at her mother again. The mother was weak and pale like the moon in a late winter night. The sight of her revived the narrator’s old childhood fear of being away from her mother. There was no hope of improvement in her condition. But before bidding her farewell, the poetess just smiled and expressed hope to see her again.