Deliberately she wipes the clothesline,
with a dusting cloth,
to remove the specks of dust that might have gathered
on the thin iron wires
drawn taut and tight between three angeled iron holders.
But sitting in my balcony and leafing through case file,
I sense her anxiety.
Her daughter has been standing at the corner of road,
for over 15 minutes now
and that rickety yellow school bus has not picked her up yet.
The girl's school bag is sagging with the weight of curriculum
and shoulders, perhaps with the weight of expectations.
She sneaks another look at her daughter,
her hands pausing for a moment
and then she returns inside,
probably to attend to her laundry,
only to come back in less than a minute
and peep again.
Her visit this time is synchronized
with a screeching halt of Tata Winger.
Her daughter boards the bus,
just as she hangs the first cloth to dry,
grey skirt from her daughter's school uniform.
with a dusting cloth,
to remove the specks of dust that might have gathered
on the thin iron wires
drawn taut and tight between three angeled iron holders.
But sitting in my balcony and leafing through case file,
I sense her anxiety.
Her daughter has been standing at the corner of road,
for over 15 minutes now
and that rickety yellow school bus has not picked her up yet.
The girl's school bag is sagging with the weight of curriculum
and shoulders, perhaps with the weight of expectations.
She sneaks another look at her daughter,
her hands pausing for a moment
and then she returns inside,
probably to attend to her laundry,
only to come back in less than a minute
and peep again.
Her visit this time is synchronized
with a screeching halt of Tata Winger.
Her daughter boards the bus,
just as she hangs the first cloth to dry,
grey skirt from her daughter's school uniform.
beautiful...
ReplyDeleteThe girl's school bag is sagging with the weight of curriculum
and shoulders, perhaps with the weight of expectations.
These lines struck me hard.
Thank you so muc Mahathi
DeleteWonderful. So much feeling and imagery in few words!
ReplyDeleteThank you for such kind words, Kay
DeleteRuby, this is beautiful! I can really relate to a mother's worry for her daughter. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I could communicate the feelings.
DeleteYou have some beautiful images in here - really, it's one of the strongest things about your writing in general. Those opening five lines are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Christine for such encouraging words
DeleteI like the everyday imagery here; it really creates a sense of time and mood.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Natalie for such kind words
DeleteThis is just delightful. I love all of the descriptions. Especially the weight of curriculum. Reminds me of my 20lb bag of books every day to and from school. Lovely work, Ruby!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear that I could bring out the scene clearly. Thank you so much.
Delete