A Mother Poem by Anil Kumar Panda

Cattle have returned to the sheds
Nests are noisy with chirping of birds
The mother stands at the door
Her feet feel cool on the floor

Dust have already settled on the path
Farmers have already finished their bath
The mother waits for her son
He has gone to work since dawn

Across land an eerie silence is falling slow
In the west sky is losing its crimson glow
The mother's heart is burning
Since morn, her son has eaten nothing

Crescent of a moon reclines against
Slope of hill in the light of the east
The mother has an unknown fear
Her eyes look for his son far and near

A star appears faint through gathering mist
Dogs whine and lie curled up on the street
The mother lit the old lantern
With tear in eyes goes out to seek her son

Ripe crops stand tall and gently sway
She looks for her son behind stacks of hay
In the dark she walks slowly, she walks fast
And falls into a ditch and breathes her last

@Tiku 2014