The Look
Two or three times a year I make trips to Chennai to be with my parents for a few weeks. My mother is 85 years old.?I notice every shade of emotion that runs along her wrinkles as she narrates incidents from her childhood days . . . and I do notice the?mischievous sparkle in her eyes that tells me she remembers the number of times she has repeated these stories to me.
the nemesis
of growing old ?
looking everywhere
for my glasses
but in the mirror
(“the nemesis” first published in Ribbons, winter 2015
Published by
Kala Ramesh
Kala Ramesh co-edited the award winning Naad Anunaad: an Anthology of Contemporary World Haiku (Vishwakarma Publication 2016) and co-authored an e-book with Marlene Mountain one-line twos (Bones 2016). She is the author of two books: haiku (Katha Books 2010, reprint 2017) and beyond the horizon beyond (Vishwakarma Publication 2017) and a tanka e-chapbook unseen arc (Snapshot Press 2017).
Kala?s initiatives culminated in founding IN haiku in 2013. She teaches haiku and allied genres at Symbiosis International University Pune. To bring haiku into everyday spaces, Kala initiated HaikuWALL, haikuTRAIL, haikuTALK, haikuWORKSHOP, haikuYOUTH, haikuUTSAV, haikuDHYANA and haikuSAATSANGATH, the last being a stage performance with dancers and actors.
View all posts by Kala Ramesh
Beautiful
a far sight…
an autobiography of a mother
a biography of a daughter
recalled,
to be remembered
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment
_()_
___ Heartful and memorable, Kala; my parallel… I often find my own glasses… in the mirror. _m
Ho hoho! Magyar
Happy you could relate to this :))
_()_
Every incident related to mother spins sweetness. Nostalgic one indeed..
Ha! Ravela,
Thanks a tonne, for taking the time to comment about this piece.
Happy you liked it so much.
_()_
Wonderful. I love the multiple meanings of "The Look."
True. _()_
So happy to note that 'the look' did get across
^_^ ^_^
What a beautiful piece—full of empathy, love, and fond amusement.
I'm so very happy you like this tanka prose, Sheila.
_()_
Ah, it does everything!
Thanks a ton, Marie _()_
Growing old is yet one more journey and I choose your gifted haibun as a companion. Thank you, Kala. Warm regards, Donna
Thanks so much, Donna. Happy you could relate to it so well. . . what you say is so true.
Lovely, Kala – fondness and humour.
I usually find my glasses on my head! :)
marion
Ha haha!
Common occurrence!
Thanks, Marion
Absolutely interesting and also sublte in it's way of telling everything. The best thing is it never loses focus and attention towards what's the cause. Also there is a sense of humour in it. An interesting way of telling things.
Thanks, Aniket Nikhade.
Truly happy you liked this tanka prose.
Deeply touched
Dear Kala, I love the story in this and your humor. I have certainly been in that position with my glasses too. Growing older is something we need to temper with humor and reflection as you've done so well here. Lovely!
Thanks, Mary.
What a beautiful comment.