Poem 1

My Mother At Sixty Six

By Kamala Das

Introduction
My mother at sixty six is written by Kamala Das who is
famous for capturing complexities of human relationships. The
poem my mother at sixty six is one of the finest examples of the
human bonding, especially that of a mother and daughter. It
describes the pain and fear of the poet – of losing her mother
due to harsh reality of life which is death.

About Poet
Kamala Das (1934-2009) was born in Malabar, Kerala. She is
recognised as one of India’s foremost poets. Her works are
known for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour
of the soil. She has published many novels and short stories.
She wrote under the pen name “Madhavi Kutty”.

A Mind Map
Poem
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile......

Poem Explanation
Stanza 1
Driving from my parent’s home
To Cochin last Friday morning,
I saw my mother beside me.
Meaning
Beside: alongside
Explanation
The poetess explains that once when she visited her parent’s
house in Cochin. It was a Friday when she was driving back to
the airport, her mother was sitting beside her at the back of the
car. The poet looked at her mother.
Literary Devices:
Assonance: Here we see the use of vowel sound that is ‘o’.(To
Cochin last Friday morning)

Stanza 2
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
Meaning
Doze: nap
Ashen: pale
Corpse: dead body
Explanation
She saw that her mother was sleeping and her mouth was
open. She further explains that the colour of her mother’s face
was like that of ash. (This means that there was some smoky
appearance on her face). She looked like a dead body.
Literary Devices:
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’,’a’, ‘e’ (doze, open
mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse)
Simile: The colour of the mother’s face has been compared to
that of a corpse - ashen. use of ‘like’ (her face ashen like that of
a corpse)

Stanza 3
that she was as old as she looked but soon
put that thought away, and looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes,
Meaning
Spilling: let out
Sprinting: Moving fast
Explanation
The poetess realized that her mother had grown old. She felt
pain for her. But soon she tried to get rid of this sad thought by
diverting her thoughts towards the trees outside. The young
trees although stationary seemed to be running very fast as
though they were sprinting. She also saw children running out
of their houses, into the playground. All these things were full of
life and energy, contrary to her mother who sat next to her.
Literary Devices:
Consonance: use of the sound ‘s’ and ‘t’
imagery: when the poet say trees sprinting, merry children
spilling Repetition: Repeated use of ‘looked’

Stanza 4
but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
Meaning
Wan: dim, weak
Pale: dull, colourless
Explanation
The poet continues that when she reached the airport, she
finished with the security check and stood a few yards away
from her mother. She noticed her mother’s ageing face which
looked so dull, weak and pale.

Stanza 5
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you
soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile......
Explanation
The poet compares her mother to a late winter’s moon as the
moon in winters is not shiny and even her mother’s face had
also lost her youth and shine. As her mother was getting older
and weak.The poet feels the fear of separation just as she used
to feel during her childhood. As a child, she could not bear the
pain of separating from her mother. But now as her mother has
grown old and is about to die, the poet feels that may be this is
the last time that she is seeing her mother. She tries to hide her
fear. She then says that she would soon see her mother again.
She says so because she doesn’t want to lose her mother.
Literary Devices:
Repetition: use of ‘smile’
Rhyme scheme - The poem does not follow any rhyme or
rhythm. It has been written in free verse.
Simile: Mother’s face is compared to the late winter’s moon -
both are dull and lifeless. use of ‘as’ (as a late winter’s moon).

Summary
“My Mother at Sixty-Six” begins in a story-like manner. Once,
the poetic persona or the poet herself headed towards Cochin
to catch the flight. The place is also known as Kochi, situated in
Kerala. While she was on the way, driving the car, she
suddenly looked at her mother’s face. The old lady was sleepy,
and she was dozing open-mouthed. Her face resembled that of
any aged person. The speaker could see some signs of pain on
her face. It is natural; her only daughter was leaving her behind.
Putting off the thoughts of her mother, she looked outside the
car. The “young trees” rapidly going behind (for the speed of
her car) grabbed her attention. Children “spilled” out of their
homes happily to play. After that, the poet quickly shifts to the
airport’s security checking scene. She stood a few yards away
from her mother and looked at her pale face. A chilling
sensation of fear concerning her mother’s imminent death
made her numb. Nothing crossed her mind, instead of the
thought of her mother’s death. She struggled to utter a
customary goodbye to her amma. Then she put on a mask of a
smile and left.

Meaning of the Title

The title, “My Mother at Sixty-Six,” introduces the main idea. It
is about the poet’s sixty-six-year-old mother. When she left
Cochin, her mother was of that age, and her face reflected the
signs of imminent death. However, Das does not merely point
at her mother’s age but also writes about her physical condition
during that time. Through this poem, Das reflects on the
approaching death of her aging mother.
Form
Das’s “My Mother at Sixty-Six” consists of 20 lines having
uneven line lengths. It is a lyric poem as the poem is written
from the first-person point of view. The poet directly introduces
herself by using the pronoun “I”. She talks about an incident in
her life. What she thought on that day while leaving her old
mother behind is described in this poem.
If readers closely analyze the poem, they can find the absence
of full stops or end-stopped lines. It infers that it is written in the
form of a single chain of thoughts, also known as a “stream-of-
consciousness.” When people think about something deeply,
they visualize the things in an unbroken flow. Das’s speaker
also thought similarly about her mother’s face while she left her
mother at the airport. She shares what thoughts appeared in
her mind. That’s why the poet does not use any full stop to
break her thought process in the middle. It is called the stream-
of-consciousness technique. This form concerns an unending
stream of thoughts that flows ceaselessly in one’s mind.

Themes
Death
Death or mortality is one of the most significant themes of “My
Mother at Sixty-Six.” Kamala Das depicts the theme by using
the image of the aging mother and especially her “ashen” face.
In the first encounter, the speaker’s mother is seen dozing
open-mouthed. The complexion of her face resembles that of a
deceased person. Next, the speaker stands in the airport. This
time, she uses “wan” and “pale” to describe her mother’s face.
These adjectives are closely associated with a dying person. In
this way, the theme of death or mortality lingers throughout the
poem.
Old Age

The poet illustrates the immobility and stiffness of old age

through the image of her sixty-six-year-old mother. She
describes how old age makes a person weak and fragile with
time. Her pale face is a representation of hopelessness as well
as death. Though it is not clear whether she is suffering from
any ailment or not, the poet’s choice of words reveals that she
is not well. In this way, the poet makes use of the theme of old
age through the pessimistic image of her mother.

Life versus Death

Apart from the themes of death and old age, there is also the
theme of life versus death and hope versus pessimism. Das
only uses two images to tap on this theme. One is of the
“Young Trees” sprinting alongside the car. The other one is of
the “merry children spilling out of their homes.” The trees
symbolize life and mobility, and the children symbolize
innocence and vitality. In contrast, the image of her mother’s
face portrays the futility of life, hopelessness, and despair. In
this way, the children running out of their homes depict the
bright side of life.

The poet takes us to her inner world. She shares her intimate
thoughts and makes readers her compatriot of the pain she felt
on that day. She is aware of the fact that she has to leave her
aging mother behind at some point. It is true that the process is
painful and takes a lot of effort to forget one’s loved ones. But
it’s life. Moving on with the freshness of the morning, leaving
the ashes of the past behind, is part and parcel of life.

Mother-Daughter Relationship
Kamala Das also presents the theme of the mother-daughter
relationship in “My Mother at Sixty-Six.” This poem contains a
daughter’s feelings for her aging mother, standing on the verge
of death. The pale face of her old mother pains her deep. She
feels stranded in this journey of life whenever the thought of her
mother’s death crosses her mind. At the moment of departure,
when she looked at her mother, she was speechless to think
that she was going to die one day. She could not say anything
instead of smiling by hiding her tears: all I said was, see you
soon, Amma,/ all I did was smile and smile and/ smile……”

Tone & Mood

The first few lines of Kamala Das’s “My Mother at Sixty-Six” are
written using a sad and depressing tone. The speaker talks
about her aging mother in a natural tone. Though she is
sympathetic towards her mother, she talks about her face
realistically. It sounds like she is talking about any aged person
next door. She says that there is an “ashen” look on her face.
This word hints at her mother’s approaching death. While
talking about these things, her tone is straightforward.

In lines 11-13, she describes how nature is filled with life, hope,
and vitality. Momentarily, her tone becomes a bit uplifting and
hopeful. However, it changes in the lines after. It resonates with
the tone of the first section and continues throughout the text.
Towards the end, the speaker hints at her childhood fear of
losing her mother. These lines reflect the pain of losing her
mother.

Historical Context
“My Mother at Sixty-Six” by Kamala Das was published in 1999.
In the same year, Kamala Das converted to Islam. She was 65
years old then. In this poem, Das recalls the memory of her
mother. Her mother, Balamani Amma, was also a writer.
Kamala followed her mother’s path and excelled in the field.
In this poem, Das depicts the scene of leaving her mother at
the airport. The event probably happened after her marriage.
She was married at the early age of 15. While leaving her
mother, several thoughts appeared in her mind. But, without
saying anything to her mother, she left with a smile.

Ironically, she recalls the memory at the age of 65, a year

before turning 66. She might have been thinking about what her
mother would have thought or how she felt on that day. It made
her emotional, and she penned down this lyric. While writing, a
similar sense of mortality was vivid in her mind as she would
turn sixty-six.

Question Answers

1. What is the irony in “My Mother at Sixty-Six”?

The irony of “My Mother at Sixty-Six” is that the speaker did
not actually smile while leaving her mother at the airport.
Though she would have smiled, apparently, she was sobbing
inside her mind.

2. How does the poem “My Mother at Sixty-Six” bring

out the irony of human relationships?
Kamala Das reveals the irony of human relationships by
portraying how she left her mother at the airport. She knew
that her mother was going to die soon. Still, she had to leave
her alone.
3. What is the message of “My Mother at Sixty-Six”?
The message of this piece lies in the attitude of the speaker
towards her mother. Her departure signifies that everyone
has to leave their loved ones someday.

4. What poetic devices are used in “smile and smile and

smile”?
The phrase “smile and smile and smile” contains three poetic
devices: repetition, tautology, and polysyndeton.

5. What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in the

poem? How did she hide it?
Kamala Das’s childhood fear was the imminent death of her
mother. She hid her fear behind the facade of a smile.

6. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of

her aging mother?
 To put away the thoughts of her aging mother, she looked
outside the car and tried to rejuvenate her thoughts with the
vitality of nature.
7. Why are the children said to be “spilling out of their
homes”?
The children are depicted as a symbol of life and energy. It
seemed to the poet that the children were spilling out their
energy while coming out of their homes to play.
8. How does Kamala Das capture the complex subtleties
of human relationships in “My Mother at Sixty-Six”?
To put away the thoughts of her aging mother, she looked
outside the car and tried to rejuvenate her thoughts with the
vitality of nature.

9. Why does the poet smile, and what does she say while
bidding goodbye to her mother?
The poet smiled to hide her pain. She did not want to show
her true feelings to her mother as it would make her mother
weak. In the end, she could only say, “see you soon, Amma.”

10. Why was her mother’s “face ashen like that of a

corpse”?
Her mother’s face was ashen due to aging. The poet
compares her mother’s face to a corpse to foreshadow her
imminent death and mortality.