Maa, an ancient river of wrinkles,
channeling Father
flooding with whitened locks.
Maa, a broken dam for eyes,
sputtering mantras like
unfulfilled dreams.
Maa, prepare for pilgrimage-
journey a thousand temples of age spots
mapped on the stressed epidermis.
Maa, your home has burned upon
Father’s pyre, and I put out the flames
of your sari with my charcoaled feet.
Maa, I walk in circles around you,
like Ganpati encircling Shiv and Parvati,
my broken world, you make whole.
The Trilok, I circle-
my circumference limited to the length
of Father’s haar mala.
Each flower of the garland-
the years before him,
the years of him,
the years without him,
proclaiming,
“Honor Maa in every step.”
The Author
Preeti Shah is an Indian American meditation teacher and healthcare worker. She is a
finalist for Brooklyn Poets 2019 Fall Fellowship, 2020 Hampton’s Retreat Fellowship, and 2020 Summer Fellowship, and her poem, “Fatherless,” won July 2020’s Yawp Poem of the Month.
Her work is upcoming in Kansas City Voices and Sharkpack Shorts. Handle to IG: @BabyPrema
Preeti Shah