Oceans apart

Every morning I wake up to the aroma

Of freshly brewed coffee, just like when

I was a little kid in my home

And the first thing that comes to my mind is

That I have never tasted

The coffee made by my mother

And may never get to taste it

Many things and many moments

Remind me of my home, my mother

Though sometimes there is no obvious relevance

My wife is so different from my mother

And she is so like her in many ways

I am very fortunate to win their love

And it’s unfortunate that they will never know each other

The way I know each of them

Tough to believe that my mother

Capable of loving anything and everything I like

Could be so callous towards my love of life

Irrationally succumbing to notions of

Religion, race, color, caste

Difficult to forget the words she said

Persuading me to surrender my love

‘Go, marry her; never show your face again

Never bring her near me

You are dead for me…’

I know, there are and will be a lot of things

And moments that remind my mother of me

And an immense pain that accompanies

Though oceans apart, we revive same love

Relinquish to same memories

And carry same agonies