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 …

In Kamala Das’s poem, “My Mother at Sixty-Six,” the poet reflects on a poignant moment during a car ride with her aging mother. As they travel from their parent’s home to Cochin, the poet notices her mother dozing beside her, her face appearing pale and lifeless, akin to a corpse. This sight brings the painful realization that her mother is as old as she looks.

However, the poet quickly dismisses this somber thought, choosing instead to focus on the lively scenes outside the car window. Young trees sprint, and cheerful children spill out of their homes, creating a vibrant tableau of life. After the airport’s security check, as the poet stands a few yards away, she gazes at her mother once more. This time, her mother appears wan and pale, evoking a familiar ache related to the poet’s childhood fear of losing her.

Despite these emotions, the poet maintains a brave facade. She bids her mother farewell with a simple “see you soon, Amma,” accompanied by a succession of smiles. Behind this outward show of cheerfulness, the poet conceals the deeper pain and fear of parting from her aging mother.

“My Mother at Sixty-Six” captures the universal theme of aging, the complex emotions tied to the fear of losing loved ones, and the resilience required to hide one’s sorrow behind a smile. The poem beautifully portrays the tender relationship between a mother and a daughter, encapsulating the bittersweet reality of life’s inevitable transitions.