copyright Cendrine Marrouat
Desert Mother
Joyce Chng
I approached you quietly,
A daughter returning home.
Silent feet, hopeful eyes –
As you watched me with your gentle face
And cradling a little infant.
You smelled of roses, sweet fragrance
Of a Garden somewhere.
But you are a desert mother,
Borne of the dry earth and stark skies –
Acacias and palms whisper as you walk
And olives grow lush above streams.
You cover your head with cloth,
Shield from the hot sun.
Still you smile with rose-petal lips.
There was no sand at the shrine,
No reminder of heat and grit –
Only vivid symbols of red and pink.
I placed my offering of tiny prickly pine needles
Next to ornate flower arrangements.
Then, I walked away from the Garden
And remembered the desert mother.
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Cendrine’s – the photo is striking – are the structures nothing more than sand sculptures – vulnerable and frail like life? The poem is a liberation from concerns over life’s fleetingness. Cendrine takes an eternity-embracing view in this deeply philosophical musing on time and life. The desert she presents here is anything but barren. An incredibly talented poet at work here.
Joyce’s – this is a reverential and touching poem – the tone is both respectful and sad. The desert mother could be both literal and metaphorical. is the ‘heat and grit’ symbolic of a late mother’s personality. This is a poem to ponder upon, and to revisit.
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