Alzheimer’s day

It was not a wish,
Nor to remind her of anything
When I called my mother to say
Today is Alzheimer’s day.

And all she said,
In voice that was low.
Oh!
Yes, I know!

For when you look at one ,
Some one you love
Struggle for words:
Those never come.

Then today becomes
A day for prayers
To become aware
Not grieve, nor celebrate.

(My mother is a lady of great and admirable courage who takes care of my father , cheerfully and lovingly)

Make Innocence Last !

Dreams don't Last

(A poem dedicated to the death ofAnju Illyasi)

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Dreams don't last ,

they don't even come true.

A place to hide for a while,

and then come back to life.

The stark reality of facts,

facts so unnerving,so fearful,

that again you want to hide

in the dreams.

Dreams so pleasant, so caressing,

but you find yourself all alone.

Everyone you love disappears,

Everything you want vanishes.

Buried in the thoughts of the past

you start again- to dream.

To lead a few a moments of hapiness,

followed by the dark ages of loneliness.

Everything so artificial and near

yet so far.

Eatable but poisonous,

sucking the treasured moments away

leaving everything unwanted .

Until one day:

When everybody but you know,

that times are in for a wanted change.

Something strikes your monotonous mind,

to do something to change the view.

And the next day,

people are yearning for you.

You are the news.

They come tc meet you,

but you can't feel them,

you can't even reach them.

You are altogether in another world

'A world created by a kitchen knife.'

With every suicide, innocence dies some where else.This poem was written by Pallavi when she was in class nine soon after the unfortunate suicide of Anju Illyasi - the young wife of a celebrated televison star about eight years back . A leading newspaper published the poem at that time. Pallavi is a studying medicine and is in her final year now and this poem could well be labelled " Anatomy of a Suicidal Mind "if she had written it now.

In retrospect I wonder now, how deeply her innocence must have been hurt by this event. Did I bother to find out what she was thinking then? Did I spend enough time with her on this topic ? Did I watch carefully to see how she was impacted. Did I take pains to shield her innocence? Nay! I think my face was turned towards the media and what it broadcasted incessantly. Today, I think I should have looked at her - more deeply. After all I am her mother. Thank God , I found this poem in my archives- --for the realization what more mothers need to do-- make innocence last !

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