What We See On The Balcony... Poem by Sreekala Sivasankaran

Can you see Ma standing on the balcony?

I can see her standing on the balcony
Against the backdrop of the Warli landscape of the bedsheet
Spread on the clothes line
So frail, holding the rail
About to be blown away by the wind
Yes, I can see her
On the road below
The vegetable vendor passes by
And I can see you walking miles and miles inside the room
There's not enough money left in your purse
To buy her favourite rasakadali banana fruits
A picnic van speeds by
With the song of little children hitting the road
And Ma is simply happy
To hear the music of the jolly good ride
And you keep walking
I hear the soft sound of the eyeballs falling on the ground
Ma is still looking
At the long twisted road in front of her
Hearing impaired,
You walk up
Into the black holes of the milky way

Can you see, can you hear?