The Poetry of Lives

I tell her, “Amma, poetry is magic”
The voice of OUR souls.
Recite a few verses of the Bhagwadgita
And listen to your heart
It is our chat under the banyan tree
When nightfall silences the village
It is the baby’s full-throttled cry
Out of a mothers’ womb
It is the first rain that falls to the cracked earth
Breaking the long spell of summer
It is the river that sings of
Wars and heroes, glory and tradition
I say to Amma, life may take your heart
But it can never steal your soul
Speak your mind, my mother
That will be your poem.