MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

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”.
Introduction to the lesson
My mother at sixty six is written by Kamala Das who is famous for capturing subtle 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 parent and child.
It describes a suppressed anxiety and fear of the poet - of losing her mother due to harsh reality of life which is death.

Summary of the poem

When the poet was returning from her parent’s home and was on the way to the airport, her mother accompanied her in
the car. She noticed the face her mother who was sitting with her at the back seat of the car. She was dozing with her
mouth slightly open; her face was the colour of ash. It looked lifeless as a corpse. This very thought disturbed her so much
that she diverted her attention and looked outside the car. She saw the trees by the roadside which seemed to be running in
the opposite direction. There were young children running into the playground. All this symbolized life, energy and
happiness in contrast to her mother’s appearance. When she reached the airport, she again looked at her mother’s face
that looked old and dull like the faint moon in the winter season. The poet was filled with the same fear that she had
during her childhood - the fear of losing her mother. She thought that perhaps this was the last time that she saw her
mother alive. She was inwardly suffering from a sense of guilt, for leaving her mother alone when she needed her most.
She tried to cover her feelings of anxiety and guilt with a smile. She said that soon she would see her again. This was
evidently a false hope. If she was travelling abroad she wouldn’t be able to come back soon. Her mother needed her right
at that time. So, there is an element of hypocrisy hidden in the smile of the daughter.

Poem and explanation

Driving from my parent’s home
To Cochin last Friday morning,
I saw my mother beside me.
Beside: alongside
The poetess must have come to visit her parents/ mother 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)
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
Doze: nap
Ashen: pale
Corpse: dead body
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; i.e. pale and bloodless. She resembled a dead body.(This brought a fright in the poet’s mind)
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)
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,
Spilling: let out
Sprinting: Moving fast
The poetess realized that her mother had grown old. She realized that this was the time that her mother needed her the
most. However, since she would be unable to cater to the needs of her mother, she tries to look away and push back the
thought of responsibility and duty that is demanded of her. She tried to divert her thoughts towards the trees outside. The
young trees although stationary seemed to be running very fast in the opposite direction, as though they were sprinting,
due to the movement of the car. 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’
Personification: Young trees sprinting

but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
Wan: dim, weak
Pale: dull, colourless
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, faint and pale.

Literary device:
Alliteration/Sibilance- repeated sound of ‘s’

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......
The poet compares her mother to a late winter’s moon. Just as the moon in winters has no brilliance her mother’s face
had also lost her youth and shine. The poet feels the fear of separation just as she used to feel during her childhood. As a
child, she could not bear the thought of being separated 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 can’t say much but only smiles because she has to hide her
feelings of anxiety and guilt of not being able to perform the duty to her aging parent.
Literary Devices:
Repetition: use of ‘smile’
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).
Enjambment – The whole poem is one long line which remains unfinished in the end. The continuation of a sentence
without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet or stanza is enjambment.
The unfinished ending- shows the poet is at a loss of words and expressions as the feelings of anxiety, uneasiness and
guilt weighs her down and she simply covers her feelings with a half-assuring smile.