Poetry

No Escape!

Wrapped in the darkness & silence of the night

Like a log she slept

Gliding away into the world of dreams

Smiling & mumbling at times, but

Frowning & talking in a rage

Scolding someone, it seemed

When asked, ‘What happened?’

‘Nothing’ was the nonchalant answer &

Into her dream world she sailed back

Like a baby she had become—

Smiling, laughing, scolding, screaming

Based on sweet dreams & nightmares

With hardly a line of demarcation for–

Within seconds, one merged into the other

An enigma it was to even comprehend it!

The whole night with restlessness passed

With a blank page of its memory the next morning she woke up

Sort of a daily brain exercise–

It appeared to be!

Maybe the brain needed charging

Maybe it was God’s way of pointing out

The brain was still active

The emotional expressions proved it

A good sign it was, but, unfortunately

Gradual lethargy was overpowering it

To see her all confused & lost at times

Was indeed a painful sight.

Drawing her out of past reverie

A Herculean task it was!

Repetition & frustration were now her closest friends

No matter what one said or explained

On deaf ears it fell!

Trust & faith in every one slowly dwindled away

Searching for unknown facts helplessly

A big target before her lay

No escape from this condition is possible

A significant intrinsic characteristic of old age it is—

That only some surpass!

Accept & live with it, is the sole solution

This fact drowned all into the fathomless sea of sorrow–

A sharp double-edged rapier thrust

Their heart excruciatingly

As into her shell she retreated!

 

~ Anuradha S. Bannore

Vadodara, India

2 Comments

  1. Anuradha ji, you have painted a brilliant and touching picture of old age through, which every one has to pass some day or the other. The traumas of the growing years of life are indeed very painful for the one who suffers and the ones who observe the deterioration day by day. It needs a lot of patience and perseverance for those who devotedly sacrifice themselves caring for them. Thank you for sharing these thoughts so explicitly highlighted.

  2. Thanks Ms Diwakar for your encouragement. It means a lot to me.