Grandma Poem Poem by Ravikumar C.P.

Original Kannada Poem by Jayanta Kaikini
Translated by C.P. Ravikumar



Last vacation, out of curiosity,
I visited my grandma
Who lives in a wee corner
Among the hills, all by herself.
There was dampness everywhere,
And leeches and smoke,
And greenery.
I sat amidst these,
Nibbling at a snack
That grandma made out of jack fruit.
Grandma then quietly asked me -

Why, little one,
They say you write only poems
Now a days?
I said yes,
Like I had sacrificed my soul.
Tell me, how much it pays.
Does it suffice? She probed.

I laughed heartily
A villainous laugh.
Grandma you are so naive!
And became a youth hero of sorts.

She was neither embarrassed nor angry.
With no hard feelings she inquired
About family and friends.
Wept when I mentioned the dead.
Smiled lovingly when I spoke of the living.
Found my progress awesome.
He should 've been here to see this,
She should 've been here to see this,
She unfolded her book of memories
And shed tears.
I may not survive this rainy season, she said
And fed me sweet yellow florets from the jack fruit
That came off the old tree.
Your father and mother 've seen some rough times,
Don't you get angry with them, remember,
Keep them happy, she repeated.
On the day of my departure,
My grandma, the loner in the big old house,
Ran her hands through my hair
You have come in the form of your grandfather,
She said, and made me eat and eat some more
Before finally saying goodbye.