At times when I sit back dolefully and brood,
I perceive a face that elevates my mood,
A face in repose adorned with a broad smile,
With unblemished love devoid of any guile.
Boundless affection you have conferred upon,
From the very moment that I was born.
With fortitude you have endured it all,
Ups and downs in life, the many pits and fall,
Emerging with strength your frame bright,
Teaching me to face life without any fright.
Toiled hard to shape my future with brilliance,
Mother! Can I ever earn your resilience?
Now when you are no more with me to hear,
My notes of happiness or some unknown fear,
I grope in the dark looking for a heart kind,
To whom I can incautiously open my mind.
But where can I find so compassionate a soul?
Mother! You have left an unfathomable hole.
‘Ma,’ when my son’s call out to me aloud,
I wonder whether I should flinch or feel proud,
For I know that I could never be like you,
And shall not reach the threshold of your virtue.
Though I try hard to live up to the name,
Of a selfless mother who never expected fame.