Mother To A Son Poem by Prabhakar Subramaniam

With you in my arms
I befriended the world again
Grim neighbours stopped to grin
Feel the softness of your skin
Indulge in baby talk
I rediscovered that the moon
Waxes, wanes, disappears
That the stars twinkle
The planets do not blink
I stood and watched with you
The day fade to a blue darkness
Wondered why the sea
Never tired of wanting to come ashore.
There were the sleepless nights too
When fevers so seized and shook you
That I thought evil had entered the house
And death stood at the door
Still we lived, grew up
Lost our innocence, both
With that the tide retreated
The world turned inward
Closed its doors, kept to itself
Then when you went away
With that siren as I feared
I learnt what it was to cry
What it was to die