Oh, Mother! Poem by Ruta Mohapatra

Don't you talk
Of leaving so soon
On the long journey
From which nobody returns

You don't know
What it does to me!
My breath stops
My heart sinks

Darkness envelopes me
Ahead I cannot see
My limbs don't move
What will I ever do

Without your encouraging words
Your concerned voice
Our occasional fights
Your occasional scolding?

There is a long way to go
How will I ever walk
Without you by my side?
I have not learnt to walk alone