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Evening's Slumber

Poem by Kavita Bali. Written in October 2000. For reprint permission of this poem, please contact kavita@urbanpeacock.com.

Click through 1- 4 to experience a visual narrative about my grandmother.

	Evening's Slumber

	The knotted rope of ancient times
	Made for the cot she had for all times

	The cotton web billowed above
	To ensure safety from the hearty buzz

	The clarity of the indigo skies
	Marred only by the pageantry of the flies

	Peacefully her silhouetted shoulders rose
	As gentle lashes slumbered near her weathered nose

	Her titanium hair of more than 90 years
	Loosely braided, yet neatly tucked behind her ears

	A wisp of a breeze was barely there
	To quench the liquid heat so many feared

	The textured caverns of her patterened hands
	Remaining as silken as a newborn's hands

	Her defining plutonium demeanor
	Sought out the coolness of an evening's slumber

	The offspring of her offspring's offspring
	Graced the home that was known to all

	The early dew of pre-dawn's morn
	Kissed the cemented mosaic of textured walls

	There's a slight motion from within
	One of the family has already arisen

	The dance of the rambunctious crickets
	fades away into the silence of the emerging mist

	Tomorrow's duties would soon again be upon her
	As she slept, the matriarch of the ancestral home

In October 2000, having heard that her grandmother, the last surviving grandparent she had left, was ill, Kavita's inability to go to India caused for the creation of this piece. One week later, on October 31, 2000, Jhaiji passed away, leaving behind an emotional void and an even stronger desire to connect with her Indian heritage.

This poem was part of a gallery exhibit at CBSMarket Watch's SF Headquarters in July 2001. The poem accompanied this series of B&W photographs taken of Jhaiji in Northern India. Subsequently, I've leveraged the power of these images and related stories as a way to bring to life issues dealing with cultrual discovery and intergenerational issues in our lives. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. These works seem to surpass the boundaries of culture, age, gender and politics. The images remind us of the importance of family.

Jhaiji: Indian Grandmother Series

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