Mother Ate Tail of the Fish!

 

The rivers flowed from one window

and didn’t leave ever, the water from the

fishes stayed inside our rented rickety home,

mother would sit in the kitchen,

where a drop of it didn’t reach,

the place remained dry, she caught the

desired fish and would shed off the scales,

like a thousand seasons from one fish,

would be shed off, winters were never warm,

the coldness of the rivers flowing inside the house,

caught me, the coldness in my limps still make

me shiver, summers we slept on the wet floor,

with an old ceiling fan rotating at a snail’s pace,

it was all bogus, my head span too, I don’t look

up at the sinking ceiling anymore,

the ritual was tough on me, the bones of the fish,

often got stuck in my neck, I twisted and turned,

over the bed, mother would give me slow caressing,

to soothe my neck, but the rivers were too loud,

the sound didn’t allow me to sleep, maa would,

sleep with ease, she didn’t mind the fishes swimming,

here and there, her platter was full with the tail of it,

from the curry she made, those curries, those houses,

have disappeared somewhere, some memories of,

maa’s young face remains, she liked her rice with the tail of a fish.

                                                        Image Source: Pinterest