Aama

by SOPHIA KHATUN

FROM ISSUE # 81 (September 2002) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Her voice awakes me in the morning
The deep slumber that I am in
Forces me to ignore what I hear
Muttering under my breath
A faint whisper of 'let me sleep'...
A loving tug, a scold perhaps
Sometimes shrill, sometimes nice
Awake at last, I teasingly implore
What would one do without a mother like you?
And when it's time to eat,
Whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner or tea
It's her cooking that makes all the difference
That makes home food the best food there is.

School days and holidays come and go
Soon the little boy I once was, I am no more.
Studies completed, jobs I seek galore
Eventually, my luck lands me where endless before me have failed.
The lure of respect, money and opportunity is a-plenty
The aim of a successful career drives me with force

And it isn't far that I am soon leaving Nepal
My home, my family, my country and all that I love
For a dream that is still a dream but which seeks pursual.
The long distance spent a thousand miles away,
Conversations on the phone seem not always enough,
Postal mails some delivered some lost
A photograph or two exchanged as time passes by

The mother at home, the son abroad.
Time approaches to go home at last
Packing in haste, presents bought
Ticking off a list that never ends
Of sisters, brothers, in-laws, countless nephews and neices
But the gift for my mother is the one I value most.
She is, after all the emblem of hope
My mother, the pillar that holds our family together
In times of sorrow, joy or pain
She is there to guide us all, show us the way
Without whom I wouldn't be where I am today.
But alas, when this day has come
When her son has reached an elevated platform
She is no more present to share in his happiness
The fruits of which may without any doubt taste much sweeter
With her blessings and oh, to see her proud countenance.
But nevertheless dear mother,
Though physically not present, you are always in our hearts
Of all sons and daughters who love you like no other
Grateful for the fact that we all had a mother

A maiden who sacrifices her life for the sake of others.