Poetry at Sangam
Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.
– for Amma on her 71st birthday
You recognise that moment when one part of you ribbons out
to reside in the animal that came seeking something that you
were willing to give.
You gave more and you’ve never been sure
if that also was sought and you just didn’t know at the time –
but the giving has made you young and the creature strong.
She sits curled on the wall or the sill, belly full
an assumed dignity that comes more easily with practice.
She is goddess, she is Bastet – and sometimes she remembers it.
She was the runt of the litter but she was intrepid. And so
she was named. Needed help but accepted it
as nothing more than her due.
You watch and maybe you learn: how to accept without
undue gratitude; how to be fearless or at least how to fake it;
and how to fold antic youth within the stature of your age.
She teaches you detachment, a still and watchful patience,
endless grace. But there’s always something left to learn: how to
sharpen your claws, land on your feet and find new lives to live.
Sridala Swami is the author of two collections of poetry: A Reluctant Survivor (Sahitya Akademi, 2007) and Escape Artist (Aleph Book Co., 2014) and four books for very young children, published by Pratham Books, and translated into several languages.
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