POEM - My Mother at Sixty Six

POEM - MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX
BY KAMALA DAS
CBSE
CLASS - XII
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.
STANZA - 1
Driving from my parent’s home
To Cochin last Friday morning,
I saw my mother beside me
Beside: alongside
EXPLANATION OF STANZA - 1
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
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. (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,
Spilling: let out

Sprinting: Moving fast
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
Wan: dim, weak

Pale: dull, colourless
EXPLANATION OF STANZA -
4
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......
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.
STANZA - 6
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).
NOTES
A. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet
feels?
A. When the poet sees her ageing mother who is about

to die, she felt the pain of losing her. This is similar to
the pain which she use to feel if her mother was not
near her. She feels that as her mother is growing old
and pale, she will die soon and they will get separated.
Time and death never spare anyone. Not even the
poet’s mother and so, she has to lose her.
NOTES
B. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
B. While the poet was on her way to the airport. She

saw the trees beside the road which seemed to be
running fast as she was travelling in a car. It seemed
as if they were sprinting. Here the poet tries to show
the difference between her pale and weak mother who
looked like a corpse and the trees that were running
and were full of life.
NOTES
C. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry
children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
C. The poet brings in the image of the merry children

to show the deep contrast between the joy and
happiness of the life which can be seen in the merry
children and the passivity of life which can be felt by
looking at the ashen face of the old mother who is old
and decaying.
NOTES
D. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late
winter’s moon’?
D. The mother has been compared to the ‘late winter’s

moon’ because the moon in the winter season is dim
and appears lifeless, it doesn’t look shiny. Similarly,
the poet’s mother, due to ageing, has become dull, her
colour is similar to that of ash. It looks dull and has
lost its youth. She looks like a corpse.
NOTES
E. What do the parting words of the poet and her
smile signify?
E. The poet’s parting words “see you soon, Amma”

show the pain and fear of losing her mother. But she
smiles and looks at her mother to give her ailing
mother assurance that she will meet her soon. Here
one can easily see that she is trying to hide her real
feelings of pain and fear from her mother and tries to
console herself and her mother that they both will be
able to see each other again.
SUMMARY
The poet, in this poem describes her mother. She says that she is sixty
six years old and looks very weak and old. When the poet was
returning from her parent’s home and was on the way to the airport,
her mother was accompanying her. She noticed her mother who was
sitting with her at the back seat of the car. She was sleeping with her
mouth wide open, her face was the colour of ash. It looked lifeless.
This very thought disturbed her so much that she diverted her mind
and looked outside the car. She saw the trees by the roadside which
seemed to be running. There were young children running into the
playground. All this symbolised life, energy and happiness in contrast
to her mother’s appearance. When she reached the airport, she again
looked at her ailing mother who looked old and dull like the weak
moon in the winter season. The poet was surrounded by the same fear
that she had during her childhood - the fear of losing her mother. She
thought that may be this was the last time that she saw her mother
alive. Her mother was about to die. But then she tried to come out of
the sadness and smiled at her mother. She said that soon she would
see her again. The poet wanted to be with her mother again and did
not want to lose her.
THANK
YOU

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POEM - MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

Spilling: let out

Wan: dim, weak

Repetition: use of ‘smile’

A. When the poet sees her ageing mother who is about

B. While the poet was on her way to the airport. She

C. The poet brings in the image of the merry children

D. The mother has been compared to the ‘late winter’s

E. The poet’s parting words “see you soon, Amma”

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