With love, Mom

​My mother handed me a short poem in Gujarati language when I was getting ready to leave my home after my wedding. While times have changed and such feelings don't ring true as a result of weddings anymore (they did during her youth)... I am very well aware that she has felt this way ever since I moved out of our home to come to the USA to pursue higher education and better life.
She always used to say that it was a way of life for the baby birds to grow into adults and eventually fly out of the nest. 

Every time I read these beautiful lines, they leave me with a knot in my throat. She is a strong woman and I love her infinitely.

​I have tried to translate it in English here:

Finally the end of sleepless nights has arrived,
Eventually the wedding ceremonies have come to an end,
Now this mother is back to the daily routine,
She is counting all the household items one by one,
And arranging them all with care,
Plates, bowls, glasses, utensils,
Nothing has been lost, 
Everything is in place,
But,
All of a sudden she remembers something and,
She stops in the middle of the hallway,
Her eyes are now filled with tears,
As a bitter question comes to her mind: Where is my daughter?

Original Poetry in Gujarati:
આખરે ઉજાગરાનો અંત આવ્યો 
લગન ઊકલી ગયા 
માં હવે ઘરની ચીજવસ્તુઓ ગણે છે
સંભારી સંભારી મેળવે છે 
સંભારી સંભારી ગોઠવે છે 
થાળી, વાટકા, ડીશ, ગ્લાસ,
બધું બરાબર છે
ક્યાંક કશું ખોવાયું નથી
કશુંય ગયું નથી 
પણ 
અચાનક કાઈક યાદ આવતા 
ઈ ઓરડા વચ્ચે ઉભી રહી જાય છે
આંખો માંથી ટપકું ટપકું થાય છે
ખરો ખરો પ્રશ્ન: મારી દિકરી ક્યાં?

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