Poem : setting you free

#openpoems
Feb 29, 2020

(Edited, after a pic came to my aide.)

Blank I stare at the screen
Words not coming easily
Her life runs by
In black and white flashes
Childhood memories
Come running by
Tractor rides in mustard field
Getting wet under a tube well
Lassi in kulhad glasses
Aloo paranthas with safed Makhan
Bhes ka Dhoodh in steel glasses
Homework in Ghar ka angan
Landlines
Doordarshan
Colour tv unheard of
Telegrams
Factories
Streets adorned with eucalyptus trees
Sugarcane juice
train sounds at night
Cricket sound at night
Chirping birds during the day
A garden
Flowers
A game of cricket in the lawn
Antakshari
Laughter
Azaan
Mandir ki Ghanti too
Chillies being sun dried
Charpai
Homemade Masalas
Making pickles
Jeep drives
Blurred it gets again

Cooking is the trait
We learned from her
Helping others is the quality
We learned from her
Being there for others
Is what she taught us
Selfless and unconditional love
Defined her

Humble and down to earth
Self made woman she was
A woman of strength
With dignity and grace
Smiling on
Rooting for us
Cheering us on
Not the one to be bothered about grades
As long as we had the right values in place

Sons and daughters were alike to her
The daughter of the house
Is how dadi regarded mumma as
That’s all I know
That’s how I remember dadi
From the values that she imparted
With the legacy of kindness
That she’s left behind

The gates of memories open
It’s that day again
dadi’s death anniversary
28 years have passed
Since the day
The world became a life less
The day that comes once every four years
A day I wish the calendars could skip

Is she reborn?
Is she with us?
Have our paths crossed?
Have our souls spoken?
Have our souls recognised each other?
Is what I ask over and over again
I wish I had told her this
When she was alive
Love you dadi - always have

Some day I hope
I can go down the road again
The road that leads to her home
Home which some years back
was a barren piece of land
Wonder what’s there now
The wind whispered
“The sun” spoke
Still a barren piece of land
Trees no longer there
Most cut
Single road now widened
And the road is now two

I had hoped  for the day
When those men would stand up
own up and speak the truth
knowing dadi
She would want us
to forgive them
Just like she did,
when they rang the doorbell
Love them still - is may be
what she wants us to do
let go of the pain is may be
what she hopes we do
28 years later,
Today, We forgive them and with it - let go.
We hope they are happy
We wish them well
We hope their past
doesnt come back to haunt them
Eye witness who ran away
We hope you find your path
The path that leads you
To where you want to be
We hope the light within
shines in you all
Only because
today we understand
why you all did, what you all did
When you all made that final decision
Anger, Greed
Ain’t your fault
You did say sorry later.
Second chance given to you
To live again
Today, we hope
You have made the most of it
Overflowing with good deeds

Let go of her is may be
what she is looking forward to
And with it being free
so that she can be at ease
And her soul can finally rest in peace.
Letting go of you too, dadi
Punjab, is where you hail from
Hence, punjab  will always be in our blood
Someday I’ll learn that language
Your fragrance is here
In the legacy you have left behind
In the values you have imparted
In us, your grand children
We walk the path
That you have carved

setting you free dadi
Wherever you go
Wherever you are
May love prevail
May kindness always be sprinkled
On the trail you leave behind
May the magic wand you weave
Brighten somebody’s day
Stay happy
Stay you
Shine on
diamond in the sky
A big bear hug
N Lots of love
Go.
Amen. 🙏🏼🙏🏼