I no longer live with Ma
And I wanted to be with her
It was the beginning of spring
Ma was not sick, nor on medication
She was treading a long journey
Her memory had not deserted her
She felt good when I sat beside her
In her vanishing world
I still occupied the prime place
I touched her feet
She gathered all the energy her frail body had
Opened her eyes, said nothing
And also said many things
I couldn’t ask, Ma, Kemon Aacho
If I had asked, she would have said, Bhalo Aachi
“Be as relaxed as you can, be at ease,
sit with your dying friend,
as if you had nothing more important
or enjoyable to do.”
Following the Buddha way
I did not feel the need for verbal communication
There was silence
Perhaps, she wanted to tell me
“I lie here all day long
When I go to sleep
I am not sure if I will wake up again”
I told Ma silently
I wish you to stay with me forever Ma,
But I don’t want you to suffer anymore
I want your pains to end
I wish you have a peaceful last journey
End comes, if there is a desire
I relieved Ma from all my attachments
I wished that she gets rid of all her attachments
I said, I shall not stand at the doorway
At the time of her departure
It was a painful reality
A time comes when it is unwise to resist a thing
And the time came at the beginning of a fall
We went to a nearby Ganga Ghat
In a few moments everything was over
Some ashes remained
Ma, you carried us so nicely
You never let us feel the weight of things
You can't be merely ashes
You shall always remain with us forever
In our morning prayers.