Ma, do you miss me?
It’s just six months, feels like sixty
Long hours in class and many hours after
Not a day that doesn’t remind me
of the distance, and how much closer I feel
Sharing notes over the phone
Of details that didn't matter, when home
Or recounting in silence, shared moments
As if you were beside me,
Imagining the lines on your face 
Forming and dissolving
Choosing the face that fits the moment.
I know the lines, and I know the lies
Love shining most through the eyes
Moving from worry to pride in a trice

Child, I miss you so,
truth be told
I was long reconciled to the fact of your going
But never to the experience of seeing you gone.
I filled my time thinking
You made me the mother I am
Goofing off, first time and all
Happy for who you are, despite it all.
Each time we spoke, an ache-full reminder
Of how fond I am, and how far you are
I wait in suppressed anticipation
For your return, my child, the one I knew
A dear friend amongst a few.
I wait, frightened too, of what might ensue
As I meet the strangers and the new in you.


K S Narendran


Image: Max Pixel