A heartfelt poem by Pooja Kumari Sah, Assistant Teacher, Epic Public School, reflecting on the unnoticed yet immense contributions of a mother in the kitchen, her endless tasks, and the emotions tied to her temporary absence. A touching ode to motherhood and the small yet significant acts of love.
When The Kitchen Stood Still
And she left for a vacation,
After long tiring years standing straight in my kitchen.
Oh! Not truly straight, with time she started taking rest on occasions,
She asked, not much to me, just not to forget to give meals to her kitten
And some more jobs those I usually find menial one for no reasons.
Well, I was ready enough, with a checklist to do
Though it was not enough compared to,
The unnoticeable tasks she was doing every day and night
And now I can understand how difficult it is to remember
To switch on and off the light
Of the kitchen, of the bedroom and of the veranda ,
To switch off the water purifier and to close the kitchen windows ,
To turn the empty utensils,
To fill the dish wash bottle
To keep the left-over meals in the fridge,
To shut the doors of the kitchen almirah,
To wash and hang the kitchen towels
After cleaning the gas stoves,
To put the leads of all those spice jars
To wash and keep the cups
Carefully and immediately after every use.
I remember her cross checking everything without fail,
To the gas stoves, in the fridge, in the sink
A last cross checking for everyone’s needs,
A last cross checking for her kitten.
I tried my best to keep the lighters on place
And there was not much space
To keep the newspaper of my choice
I usually ask mom to read in her soft voice
I realized the kitchen table is full of utensils
The shelves are occupied with sugar, salt & spice jars
The almirahs with crockeries for the guest
I wish there should be a stool for her to rest.
I wish she could turn on a ceiling fan
While preparing the favourite cuisines for her man
I washed the tea cups in the night with a brown stain
Mopped the kitchen once daily ending with a back pain.
I found ants in the sugar jar, I found mosquitoes swimming in empty
buckets.
Yes, I forgot to put the leads & close the window
I heard the kitten meow, but could not understand
Whether she missed the juicy fried fish
Or the creamy milk in a small bowl of her wish,
Whether she was searching a warm lap to sit
Or missing mom’s saree to play hide & seek.
I realized the kitten, her mom and her grandmom
Might have listened my mom singing in her gay
Or sobbing in pain for a restless day.
The tap of water purifier leaks sometimes
Adding an extra job to mop the area every time,
I wish, I could have filled all the water bottles
So, like me she could have ticked in her checklist.
A checklist with never ending tasks, and her battles
A wish I could have pealed potatoes, garlic, and onion
And could listen a little more her opinion.
Grinded the spices and made the chutney to give a rest to her wrist.
I found the kitchen towel wet
As I forgot to spread.
The knife, I kept here & there
I searched after that everywhere.
Mom must have learned all these wisely
I wish she would not have spent her life precisely
Counting number of spoons & forks
Filling empty spices jars & water bottles
Mopping the kitchen table
Shifting the plates from kitchen shelves to the dining table
And just minutes after serving the mouth-watering fish curry & hot rice
She should have calculated the price
For the multiple times keeping the plates in the sink
I wish I would have asked, do you want to drink
A glass of water, a cup of rest or a spoon of praise
The little kitten tries to entertain her in many ways
The kitten keeps my old mom young
Jumping every where for a piece of a fish
I wish I would have sung
The same melody you keep singing while cleaning the sink .
May some would have made a list in deep ink
Of all the different meals you have prepared
Standing straight in the kitchen all through summer winter and autumn
May the mathematicians would have done the sum
Of the hours you have spent near the gas stove
Countless time switching it on & off.
I am tired to do it twice a day.
I wish you would have been here to bring me a cup of coffee
And to play with this kitten who blinks at me
Asking for the bowl of milk & fish,
Sorry, I could only manage some biscuits for your kitten
I will not forget to check the fridge, I promise.
Pooja Kumari Sah
Assistant Teacher
