English CBSE Class 12 NCERT Flamingo Poem 1 My Mother at Sixty-six Line by Line Explanation and Meaning of Difficult Words

English CBSE Class 12 NCERT Flamingo Poem 1 My Mother at Sixty-six Line by Line Explanation and Meaning of Difficult Words

MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

(Explanation)

Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday morning,

I saw my mother, beside me,

In the morning of Friday, the author was travelling in a car. She was travelling from her parent’s home to Cochin. Her mother was also in the car. She was sitting near her mother. She looks at her mother.

doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse

Mother was sleeping. Face of mother had become yellow. The colour was same as that of a dead body.

and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked

but soon put that thought away,

I realized that she had become very old. I felt the pain of losing her. Very soon kept this thought away from my mind.

and looked out at young trees sprinting,

the merry children spilling out of their homes,

Now I looked at the trees that were young. They appeared to be running. (When we move in a train or a car, tress at distance seem to be moving in opposite direction). Happy children were coming out of their homes to play.

but after the airport’s security check,

standing a few yards away,

I completed the security check at the airport. After that I stood some distance away from it.

I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter’s moon

and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

I looked at her (my mother) once again. She was looking sick. Her face was yellow like  moon in winter season. (The face was not shining) I felt the pain of losing her. This pain was similar to my feelings during childhood when my mother used to move away from me.

but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and smile……

But I could not say anything to my mother. I only said that mother, I will meet you very soon. Then I smiled at her.

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