Mother Poem by Janaki Nilmini

Hear! Dawn orchestra
Milk, with unconditional love
Wake up time for school

Material wealth is fun
knowledge cannot be stolen
She was strict and firm

Simple life brings joy
greed and hatred defile mind
Mum was always clean.

Live with compassion
Do not wait till Autumn winds
Life is short and swift

First flight from my nest
Build your own, and make it strong
It's your task, she said

I had my firstborn
You nursed my exhausted self
Lectured on nature

Days became decades
Together we grew older
You were aging faster

Feeble and weary
End of journey, you whispered
Good bye, I love you

In silence you slept
In reverence I watched you
Returned to nature