A POEM BY ALICE. DATE UNKNOWN

 

A POEM BY ALICE. DATE UNKNOWN

 

A son of Kerala is he
Born to the Manapurath family
Baptised into the MarThoma tradition
While living close to the Oothimood junction

A doctor he wanted to be
His mother said she didn’t agree
‘Why do you want to soil your hands
When you can have off fertile lands?”

To a distant land he travelled
Where few had ever traversed
Seeking a useful profession
Just before the Japanese occupation

A man of all trades is he
Fixing tyres and battery
Nailing walls, stitching clothes
Feeding those he held so close

He carried with him the energy
Of a buzzing honey bee
From place to place
He would often dare to race

As a child I went with him
To many places he did whim
From workshops to hear the tinkering
To Church grounds to hear the preaching

Extraordinary things he has done
When stitched the chin of his son
With hair from the cow’s tail
When suture material he could not avail

Mama, in her quiet ways
Lent him support all her days
As she worked with loving hands
Taking care of her little band

Many a time I saw her do
Caring for the poor and sickly too
It was her gentle kindly smile
That sent me off from mile to mile

Her fish curry and kachimooru
Is sought by all
Especially by her daughter-in-law
Most of all

Feeding her grandchildren
With pride and joy
Dealing with refusals
With skillful ploy

Patient, long suffering, persevering
She was from morn to night always serving
Through all the pains she never faltered
Her faith in God never altered.

 

Illustrator: Payal Sahu