वे बोले मैं थक गया
पास में खड़ी मैं बोली
क्यूँ?
पता नहीं- पर थक गया
अच्छा, कुछ सोच रहे हो?
हाँ, सोच तो रहा हुँ
क्या?
पता नहीं
सोच भी रहे हो और पता भी नहीं?
हाँ, मैं शायद सोच रहा था
तुम कौन हो?
क्यूँ , यह भी नहीं मालूम?
लो मैं बताती हूँ
मैं तुम्हारी पत्नी हूँ
अच्च्छा सच?
हाँ सच
तो अभी तक कहाँ थीं?
यहीं… तुम्हारे पास
हमेशा कि तरह
सुख में, दुःख में
क्या तुम्हें इतना भी याद नहीं?
कुछ सोच में डूबे हुए बोले
हाँ…, और ये कौन है?
मुझे नहीं पता
शायद…, ये मेरी बेटी है
हाँ, तो नाम बताओ
याद नहीं…
और सोच में डूबे वो
फिर
सोच में पड़ गए
और
मैं ख़ामोश, सोच में पड़
देखती रह गई
~Shobha Diwakar
Jabalpur, India
It’s a beautiful poem with a sad string running through it. A fact of one’s old age life you have described very well, Ms Diwakar. It’s unbelievably unnerving to think how an intelligent human being can be reduced to this terrible state of mind. It’s becomes an extremely difficult situation for both the spouses. The sufferings of one become that of the other. No one can understand the acuteness of the pain that the one who has to deal with it goes through. The outward appearance / behaviour of the balanced minded spouse is misunderstood & people tend to become judgemental. Hardly anyone understands the condition of the sane spouse. That’s extremely disheartening! Thanks for sharing your poem Ms Diwakar
Yes very true. This is the saddest part of getting older by the years and it is such a painful effort to see your spouse suffer the pain while the better half observes him dwindling in his memory over the days . one can understand the pangs of sufferings of both, the one who is suffering and the one who is observing the mental deterioration. I humbly pray to God to lessen the sufferings of all those who are passing through this ordeal
Thank you asb for your very sensitive comments.
A very powerful portrayal of old age erasing memory of the life lived or even unlived !
thank you jayashree ji for your words of appreciation. no doubt old age is a stage which all of us have to cross sooner or later, but the problems it brings with it is sorrowful not only to the one who suffers but those taking care of the sick person.
Thank you Jaishreeji for your sensitive comments . Sometimes I f eel old age is like Pandora’s box, you never know what next will spring out of it!