As the baby next door screams her lungs out
Life is slowly ebbing out of my mother’s weak lungs
She looks at me trying to pull herself up
Her frail body, weak and weathered
Every day my prayer to the Universe is the same
“Lord, when it’s time . . .
Please take her without fear in her heart
And pain in her body”
A flock of sparrows flutter down near the window by her bed
Reminding me of the time I almost died of typhoid
Mum sat up all night changing the cold compress on my forehead
Till my burning fever broke the following morning, to the chirping of sparrows
Now they are back again, staring through the mesh on the window
Like concerned friends who’ve come to visit
With messages of love and support
Mum looks at them and turns away teary-eyed
Its’ way past midnight now and there is nothing I can do for her
Her body is cold and she stares over my head
As I pour a few drops of coconut water to quench her thirst
I am overcome with grief . . .
I gently whisper into her ears that she is off to an exciting holiday
I tell her dad is coming in our car to take her for a ride along the beach
She can stop off for some ice cream while he gets peanuts
They both can sit on the ledge along the ocean, and wave to friends passing by
She blinks as if to tell me that she likes my story
Like the many stories she told us as children
Tales that we heard in amazement as we drifted into sleep
Only . . . we woke up the next morning, full of life
Now I am not sure what tomorrow morning will unfold
I dab her lips with some water and slide into the chair next to her bed
Drifting in and out of sleep, I wake up with a start
I thought I heard sparrows chirping
I quickly bend over mom to check on her
Her eyes are closed as if she is in a blissful sleep
I begin to sob uncontrollably, as I hold her close to me
The sparrows have flown . . . . .
