A POEM WITH AN OEDIPAL TOUCH

Father was like a ticking time-bomb sometimes,
Or like a fuming volcano about to erupt any time
Too quick-tempered was he.
Disillusionment writ large on his face,
Gloom and agony reflected in his eyes always
Quite ruthless in behaviour sometimes,
Found something wrong in all her deeds,
Anger, accusations, vitriol,
Endless the list seemed.
No complaints she had,
Mother always listened to him,
Obeyed him, took care of all his tall orders,
A model wife she remained through out.
Quite fond of her husband,
Read she the writings on his inner mind
And saw the picture of an orphan in tears,
Orphan, he was.
While a babe his mother left him,
Without even leaving a picture
He yearned to watch it and shower kisses on her
Visualized he her face, but in vain
‘why you left me helpless in a barren world,
With no traces of love’?
His tears nobody saw.
But mother saw the X-ray of his mind
And sat helpless.
Whenever she fell ill
Father took care of her,
Took her to the doctor,
Ensured he she took the medicines in time.
But his face still moody as stony,
Children grew up,
Went to schools, colleges
Emerged successful
All of them,
Applied for jobs,
And got selected at distant parts of the world.
Daughters married off
Each left the house,
To their temples of duties
One by one.
Finally father and mother left behind.
Stream of letters came pouring in
Gradually, slowly the flow dried up.
Inner pleasure vanished,
Implosions in their life nobody saw.
Days, months, years passed by
River of time flowed in full force.
Grew old both of them
Loneliness like a curse befell on both
Father fell ill one day,
Bed-ridden he was
Quite frail he turned out
His confidence and determination ebbed away,
He always wanted her presence beside him,
‘A wicked, ruthless sinner I was’
“Quite rude to you throughout’
‘You loved me still
And continues to love me attend to my needs
Like a mother tends her child’-
Streams of tears
Ran down the corners of his eyes.
‘Self-deprication flashed in his face,
Don’t, please don’t give me pain, your tears force me to weep,
Like a child
It is my mission and my pleasure to look after you’,
Only love, nothing but love towards you’.
Always
In broken words, her lips quivering,
she calmed him
forcefully suppressing her tears.