Class XII Poem -1 (FLAMINGO) "My Mother at Sixty Six" - Kamla Das

             My Mother at Sixty Six

(KAMALA DAS ‘Madhavikutty’.)

 ✍️ About the Poet: Kamala Das

• Full Name: Kamala Surayya (also known as Kamala Das)

• Born: 1934 in Kerala, India

• Died: 2009

📚 Literary Contribution:

• A leading Indian poet writing in English and Malayalam.

• Known for her confessional poetry—bold, personal, and deeply emotional.

• Themes often include love, longing, womanhood, loneliness, and identity.

• Wrote with honesty and emotional intensity.

• Also known for her autobiography My Story.

My Mother at Sixty Six -  Summary

This is a touching poem written by Indian poet Kamla Das who wrote under the pen name of ‘Madhavikutty’. In this poem, she describes her feeling of love and attachment towards her ageing mother.

Once the poet went to visit her mother. She was on her way back to the airport to return to Cochin. She looked at her mother who was seated beside her in the car. Her mother had dozed off to sleep and her aging face - was smoky in color like ash. Her mouth was open and she resembled a dead body. The poet realized that her mother was old. She felt pain and sympathy for her. Her mother needed love, affection and care.

In order to come out of the gloom, the poet shifted her glance and looked out of the car’s window. There she saw young trees pass by. Little children were running out of their houses into the playgrounds. These things were contrary to the aging face of her mother. They symbolized energy, life and happiness.

As they reached the airport and the poet was about to leave for the aeroplane, she glanced at her mother one more time. Her mother appeared weak and pale just like the moon in the winter season which seems to have lost all its strength. The poet felt the pain and fear of losing her mother. She was reminded of her childhood when she used to fear losing her mother. As a child she could not bear to be separated from her mother even for a few moments. Now the loss would be permanent as her mother was about to die and she would lose her forever.

The poet did not express her feelings. She smiled and said “see you soon, Amma” because she wanted that her mother should live and they could meet again. ⸻

🌼 Theme of the Poem: “My Mother at Sixty-Six”

The poem is a touching expression of the poet’s emotional response to aging and mortality, especially the fear of losing her mother.

🎭 Key Themes:

1. Aging and Mortality

• The poet sees her mother dozing in the car and is suddenly struck by her pale, aging face.

• Her mother, now sixty-six, appears weak and lifeless—reminding the poet of impending death.

2. Love and Bond Between Mother and Daughter

• The poem captures the unspoken yet deep emotional bond.

• The daughter fears separation but doesn’t express her grief openly.

3. Fear of Separation and Death

• The sight of her mother’s frail face fills the poet with fear.

• The passing trees and children at the airport contrast with the stillness of the mother, intensifying this fear.

4. Helplessness and Acceptance

• Despite her inner sorrow, the poet puts on a brave smile and says goodbye.

• She realizes that aging and death are inevitable, and one must accept them.

 Character & Character Sketchs :

🧓🏻 1. The Mother

🌸 Character Sketch:

• Around sixty-six years old

• Pale, weak, and lifeless – described as “ashen like a corpse”

• Symbolizes old age, fragility, and nearing death

• She is quietly dozing, unaware of her daughter’s emotional turmoil

• Her physical appearance triggers fear and sorrow in the poet

• Represents the inevitable cycle of life and mortality

 2. The Daughter (Poet – Kamala Das)

🌼 Character Sketch:

• Sensitive and emotionally aware

• Observant – notices every detail of her mother’s appearance and its implications

• Tries to hide her fear and pain behind a smile

• Feels helpless and anxious about her mother’s aging

• Her love is deep and unconditional, though silently expressed

• Reflects a universal experience – fear of losing one’s parents

• Demonstrates emotional maturity in accepting the reality of life and death

My Mother at Sixty-Six Explanation

My Mother at Sixty-Six:

Driving from my parent’s

home to Cochin last Friday

morning, I saw my mother,

beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that

of a corpse and realized with pain

that she was as old as she

looked but soon

put that thought away, and

looked out at Young

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes, but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards

away, I looked again at her, wan, pale

as a late winter’s moon and felt that old

familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and

smile......

Explanation - 

🔹 Stanza 1

“Driving from my parent’s

home to Cochin last Friday

morning, I saw my mother,

beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that

of a corpse and realised with

pain

that she was as old as she

looked…”

📖 Explanation:

• The poet is on her way to the Cochin airport, driving from her parents’ home.

• Her mother is sitting beside her, dozing with her mouth open.

• The poet notices that her mother’s face looks pale and lifeless, like a corpse (dead body).

• This startles and saddens her—she becomes suddenly aware of her mother’s old age and physical weakness.As she looks at her mother’s pale and pallid face, she is struck with the horror and pain of losing her. The mother with the dozing face and open mouth is compared to a corpse. Here, the poet shows the typical love and affection which is present in a mother-daughter relation.

💬 Difficult Words:

• Doze – Sleep lightly

• Ashen – Pale and greyish (like a dead body)

• Corpse – Dead body

• Realised with pain – Understood something emotionally distressing

🔹 Stanza 2

“and realised with pain

that she was as old as she

looked but soon

put that thought away, and

looked out at young

trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes…”

📖 Explanation:

• The poet is emotionally disturbed by her mother’s appearance and the realization of her aging.The poet is pained and shifts her attention outside the car in order to drive out the negative feelings. She changes her sad mood .The scene outside the window is of growing life and energy.

• She tries to distract herself from the painful thought.

• Looking outside the moving car, she sees young trees “sprinting” (a metaphor as if they are running past) and happy children playing.The rapidly sprinting trees alongside the merrily playing children symbolize life, youth and vitality.

• These images represent life, youth, and energy, a sharp contrast to her aging mother. The poet here is reminded of her own childhood when her mother had been young whereas now she is encircled with the fear of losing her and that has made her insecure.

💬 Difficult Words:

• Sprinting – Running very fast

• Merry – Cheerful, joyful

• Spilling out – Coming out in large numbers or with energy (symbolic of vitality)

⸻

🔹 Stanza 3

“but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards

away, I looked again at her, wan,

pale

as a late winter’s moon…”

📖 Explanation:

• After reaching the airport and passing through security, the poet looks back at her mother.She is at the airport to take a flight. It indicates departure and separation which creates melancholy. As she bids goodbye to her mother, the image of the old, wan, worn out mother in the twilight of years strikes her again.

• She sees her mother standing a little distance away, looking wan (weak, tired) and pale.

• The poet compares her mother to a “late winter’s moon”, which is dull, faded, and nearing the end of its cycle—just like her mother in the final phase of life. Here again a similie is used to compare her mother with a late winter’s moon whose light is obstacle by fog and mist As she looks old now, her personality is affected by it.

💬 Difficult Words:

• Wan – Pale, weak

• Late winter’s moon – A metaphor for old age, showing dimness and fading life

⸻

🔹 Stanza 4

“and felt that old

familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and

smile…”

📖 Explanation:

• Seeing her mother’s pale face again, the poet feels an old familiar pain—the fear of losing her. The poet is feeling the pain of separation, leaving her mother and going. Also, her childhood fear of losing her mother which she feels that earlier was temporary but now, could be forever as she could die of old age, is haunting her. She is so pained that it is natural for her to cry but keeping a brave front she hides her tears and smiles.

• It is the same fear she had as a child—that one day her mother would leave her.

• However, she does not express her emotions openly.

• Instead, she puts on a brave face, says goodbye calmly (“See you soon, Amma”), and smiles repeatedly, hiding her tears and sorrow. She hides her sorrow as she does not want to create a painful environment for her mother and conveys her that as she is enjoying her life similarly her mother should also be happy and enjoy her life.

(The poem revolves around the theme of advancing age and the fear that adheres to its loss and separation. It is a sentimental account of the mother’s approaching end through the eyes of the daughter. The seemingly short poem touches upon the theme of the filial bond between the mother and daughter smeared in the backdrop of nostalgia and fear. Nostalgia of the past (the time spent with the mother) and fear of the future without her.)

It is a short poem, without a full stop, the poem is like a long sentence, over flowing thought process. The poet uses the device of comparison and contrast, simile and repetition.

💬 Difficult Words:

• Ache – A dull pain (emotional here)

• Familiar ache – A known, recurring emotional pain

• Amma – Mother (in many Indian languages)c

📚 Literary Devices in “My Mother at Sixty-Six”

1. Simile

Definition: A comparison using “like” or “as”.

Example:

“…her face ashen like that of a corpse”

🔹 Compares the mother’s pale face to a dead body’s, showing how old and lifeless she appears.

2. Imagery

Definition: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Examples:

• “Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes”

• “Her face ashen, like a corpse”

🔹 These lines help readers visualize both the outside world’s vitality and the mother’s stillness.

3. Alliteration

Definition: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Examples:

• “…my mother…”

• “…sleeping, open mouthed…”

• “…spilling out of their homes…”

🔹 Creates a soft, flowing rhythm matching the reflective tone of the poem.

4. Contrast

Definition: Placing opposing ideas side by side for effect.

Examples:

• Mother (still, pale, aging) vs. outside world (active, young, joyful)

• “Trees sprinting” vs. “ashen like a corpse”

🔹 Highlights the difference between life and approaching death.

5. Repetition

Definition: Repeating words for emphasis.

Example:

“smile and smile and smile…”

🔹 Emphasizes the poet’s attempt to hide her pain and mask her fear with a forced smile.

6. Enjambment

Definition: The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.

Example:

“I saw my mother,

beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that

of a corpse…”

🔹 Reflects the natural flow of thoughts and the emotional stream of the poet.

7. Symbolism

Definition: When an object or image represents a deeper meaning.

Examples:

• “Corpse” → Symbol of death

• “Trees sprinting” → Passage of time/life’s pace

• “Smile” → Attempt to cope, hide pain, or accept reality

📝  Phrases used in the poem with Explanation

1. “My mother at sixty-six”

🔹 Refers to the poet’s realization of her mother’s old age.

🔹 The number 66 indicates that her mother is nearing the end of her life, evoking concern and emotional conflict.

2. “doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse”

🔹 The mother is sleeping with her mouth open, appearing lifeless.

🔹 “Ashen like a corpse” is a simile comparing her pale face to death, symbolizing aging and mortality.

3. “a young tree sprinting”

🔹 Describes the trees the poet sees from the moving car.

🔹 Symbolizes life, energy, and movement—a stark contrast to the stillness and aging of her mother.

4. “the merry children spilling out of their homes”

🔹 The sight of happy, playful children represents youth, vitality, and innocence.

🔹 This again contrasts with the mother’s old age and tiredness.

5. “I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter’s moon”

🔹 The mother looks weak and faded, just like the moon in late winter.

🔹 The “late winter’s moon” symbolizes old age, fading beauty, and nearing death.

🔹 It also reflects the poet’s emotional distance and helplessness.

6. “and felt that old familiar ache”

🔹 The poet experiences a painful realization—the fear of losing her mother.

🔹 The ache is “old” because this fear has haunted her before.

7. “but all I did was smile and smile and smile…”

🔹 Repetition emphasizes her helplessness and emotional restraint.

🔹 Despite her deep fear and sadness, she masks her pain with a smile, knowing separation is inevitable.

Question and answers

1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

ANS - When the poet looks at her mother’s face closely, she discovers that she has aged and her end is near. The feeling of her mother being old, needing care and help pains the poet as there is no one to look after her. She feels that her mother can die any moment and that then she will lose her forever. Her childhood fear of losing her mother which was then timely but now, will be forever, resurfaces. The poet feels the pain of her mother’s old age and her helplessness towards her. She has the fear of separating from her mother forever, upon her death.

2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

ANS -The young trees have been personified. When looked at from the poet’s moving car, they seem to be running past. The poet found it to be strikingly opposite to her mother who looked as still as a dead body.

3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

ANS -The poet draws a comparison between what is travelling with her and what she can see outside. It’s a comparison between life and death. Her mother is sleeping, with mouth open, like a dead body, while outside she can see children who are full of life, energy and enthusiasm.

4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

ANS -Just as the late winter’s moon is dull and lacks luster, so is her mother at the end stage of her life. Also, as the late winter moon gets overshadowed by the fog and mist in the sky similarly her mother can get overshadowed by death at any time. Both of them are nearing an end- one of season and the other of life.

5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

ANS - The parting words of the poet show her positive attitude. She overcomes her pain and fear, assures herself and her mother that they would meet again. She is being very brave which is indicated by the use of repetition in the poem:
“smile and smile and smile......”

MIND MAP

⸻

📘 Flow Chart – My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamala Das

🔹 1. Journey Begins

• The poet is driving from her parents’ home to Cochin airport.

• Her mother is sitting beside her.

          ↓

🔹 2. Observing the Mother

• The mother is dozing, her mouth slightly open.

• The poet looks at her and notices her pale, lifeless face.

           ↓

🔹 3. Realisation of Aging

• The mother’s face is described as “ashen like a corpse.”

• This simile shocks the poet and makes her confront her mother’s frailty and mortality.

            ↓

🔹 4. Emotional Response

• The poet feels a sudden fear of losing her mother.

• She is emotionally disturbed but tries to remain calm.

            ↓

🔹 5. Distraction Through Nature

• To divert her thoughts, she looks outside the moving car.

• Sees “young trees sprinting” and “merry children spilling out of their homes.”

• These images symbolize life, energy, and contrast with aging.

            ↓

🔹 6. Arrival at the Airport

• They reach Cochin airport.

• The poet goes through the security check before departure.

            ↓

🔹 7. Second Glance at the Mother

• The poet looks back at her mother, now standing at a distance.

• Describes her as “wan, pale as a late winter’s moon” – faded, cold, and aging.

            ↓

🔹 8. Deep Sadness and Realisation

• The poet feels the “old familiar ache” – a childhood fear of separation.

• She realizes that her mother may not be there the next time she returns.

          ↓

🔹 9. Suppressed Emotion and Goodbye

• Despite her pain, she doesn’t cry.

• She hides her emotions behind repeated smiling:

“I smiled and smiled and smiled…”

• The repetition shows forced positivity and emotional restraint.

EXTRA QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER HINTS

✅ 1. Competency-Based Questions

Q1. How does the poet use visual imagery to express her feelings in the poem?

Answer Hint:

• Uses images like “ashen like a corpse” and “wan, pale as a late winter’s moon” to show aging.

• Contrasts with “young trees sprinting” and “merry children” outside the car to highlight vitality vs. decay.

Q2. Why does the poet smile repeatedly at the end of the poem?

Answer Hint:

• To hide her deep sorrow and fear of losing her mother.

• It’s an act of emotional strength and silent goodbye.

✅ 2. Theme and Title-Based Questions

Q3. Justify the title “My Mother at Sixty-Six”.

Answer Hint:

• Focuses on poet’s emotional response to her mother’s aging.

• Sixty-six represents the threshold of old age and mortality.

• The entire poem captures this single, reflective moment.

Q4. What central theme does Kamala Das convey through this poem?

Answer Hint:

• Fear of loss and separation.

• Aging and mortality.

• Emotional distance despite physical closeness.

✅ 3. Situation-Based Questions

Q5. What did the poet see when she looked out of the window? What did it signify?

Answer Hint:

• Saw “young trees sprinting” and “merry children spilling out”.

• Symbol of life, energy, and youth — a contrast to her aging mother.

Q6. Imagine you are the mother in the poem. How would you feel watching your daughter leave?

Answer Hint:

• Sad but silent.

• Proud yet afraid of being left alone.

• Possibly aware of your frailty but wanting to appear strong.

✅ 4. Creative Writing-Based Questions

Q7. Write a diary entry from the poet’s perspective after reaching Cochin.

Answer Hint:

• Express fear and helplessness.

• Mention how her mother looked — fragile and pale.

• Record her effort to smile instead of crying.

Q8. Write a short poem or paragraph expressing your feelings about seeing a parent grow old.

Answer Hint:

• Include emotions like love, pain, anxiety.

• Use images like wrinkles, silence, fading voice.

✅ 5. Phrase and Vocabulary-Based Questions

Q9. What does the phrase “ashen like a corpse” suggest about the mother’s appearance?

Answer Hint:

• Pale, lifeless, aging — foreshadowing death.

Q10. Explain the meaning of “wan, pale as a late winter’s moon.”

Answer Hint:

• Faint and colourless like the moon in winter.

• Symbol of old age and fragility.

Q11. What does “smile and smile and smile” suggest about the poet’s state of mind?

Answer Hint:

• Forced optimism.

• Hiding sorrow and accepting life’s painful truths.

✅ 6. Extra / Value-Based Questions

Q12. How does the poem reflect universal human emotions?

Answer Hint:

• Everyone fears losing loved ones.

• Expresses silent grief, helplessness, and acceptance — feelings we all experience.

Q13. What role does silence play in this poem?

Answer Hint:

• Poet never voices her fear; it’s all internal.

• The quiet farewell is more powerful than spoken words.