Monday, June 06, 2011

Old Woman In The Moon



As a child, I was very choosy about food. It was a pain to feed me. The only possible way to make me eat my meal was to distract me with stories. My mother was a wonderful narrator, and she had a rich stock of stories to tell me. My father, however, would have a hard time as I would ask questions when the stories did not make sense, and I could tell when he was making them up.
Once, when I had a stomach infection, I woke up in the middle of the night due to pain. My mother went to the kitchen to cook the only thing that I would agree to eat those days, and my father picked me up and took me out on the verandah. I must have been four years old then. My father wiped the tears off my face and showed me the moon and the pattern of an old woman in it. The memory of that night still transports me to that verandah with the cool summer breeze drying my tears, the sound of utensils clattering in the kitchen as my mother prepared my food, the moonlight washing the street outside, the comfort of my father's lap, the peacefulness of midnight with the knowledge that the world is asleep, and the pattern of a kind old woman watching over us from the moon.

Somewhere, something inside me had captured the beauty of it all, for me to cherish years later, on a similar summer night.

29 comments:

tarunima said...

that is such a lovely post:)
memories linger on with us and strike us when we least expect them too:)
beautiful:)
p.s- at 4 you were such a pro at telling between a made up story and a not-so-made up story..thats so interesting:)

Jae Rose said...

I hope the comfort settled your stomach and gave you a new love for food..it is strange the things we remember and how important they are to us and our future..Jae :)

Tulika Verma said...

Tarunima, thanks! :) Oh yes, I was not easy to fool :)

Jae, true! Little things can change us and shape us. The butterfly effect of life :)

Regina said...

I really enjoyed the way you drew out this touching story of life and love- with the backdrop of this beautiful moon. Thanks-

Glynn said...

It's a beautiful memory. When I was 4 or 5, my father made waffles for me when I had some dread disease. And he served them to me in bed. I recovered, but I never forgot what he did.

Tulika Verma said...

Regina, thank you :)

Glynn, I know, some memories just register somewhere as sweet tokens of the past. Thanks for the visit :)

Mary said...

It is so wonderful that you have preserved this wonderful memory in words. Now that it is written down, no one can ever take it away from you and you will never lose it.

Tulika Verma said...

Mary, that is exactly what I was thinking after writing it down...you echo my thoughts! :)

Jyoti Mishra said...

a lovely memory of yours !!
it reminded me of my good old days whn my daddy used to walk me on his shoulders.... Ahhh I loved it.

Tulika Verma said...

:) Thank you so much Jyoti

Anonymous said...

Lovely - Tulika! :):) Loved what you wrote for the comment "Lovely thoughts on this"

Kailash Sharma said...

You just revived the old memories, when my grand-mother used to tell me the same story.
Very beautiful and touching sentiments..

Tulika Verma said...

Thanks Kailash! :)

Anonymous said...

Sweet memories ♥

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you got my last comment?

You have some nice memories. I liked reading this ♥

Anne said...

The memories so love, comfort and security from childhood sustain us forever I believe. You capture it wonderfully.

Tulika Verma said...

Alex, thank you :)♥

Thank you Anne!

Tulika Verma said...

Thank you Divenita! :)

Celestial Dreamz said...

such a lovely post Tulika (bdw I love the feel of your name :)).... I grew up listening to several Bengali folk tales where they say if you look up to the Moon you can see an old woman sitting there spinning her wheel and weaving ... this is something I believed for long ... till the school science books trampled over my imagination ... but anyways they didn't become successful. My science marks might not have been too glorious but my fancy and whims and imaginative mind is intact till date :P

Tulika Verma said...

Thank you for the lovely comment Baishali! :) Yes, I know the tale about the woman on a spinning wheel...Spinning wheels have been am integral part of our history as a nation..I think that is why they appear in stories too :)
My name, yes :) Co-incidentally it means a writer's pen :) I love it too :)

Thanks for the visit :)

Francine Howarth said...

Hi, and welcome to RFW!

Lovely little snippet from memories of childhood, and every bit as visual in the picture painted with words. ;)

best
Francine

Denise Covey said...

It is wonderful to preserve our memories in words. I love your love of words as I read in your About Me page. I welcome you to Romantic Friday Writers. You're going to amaze us with your words.

Denise<3

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is such a beautiful memory! I enjoyed every minute of it with you!! Love the idea of the old woman in the moon!

Reflections said...

A very touching piece... sounds like such a serene soothing night, with loved ones to always watch over us. You have shared a beautiful moment, thank you.

Thanks also for stopping over and following along. Very nice to have you there.

Geraldine said...

This is truly a lovely wistful post to read. How evocative and filled with heart.

I love your avatar photo btw.

Hugs, G

Tulika Verma said...

Francine, thank you!

Denise, I will try! :)

Petrina, thanks and you're most welcome! Loved your blog!

G, thanks so much! Hugs! :)

Helen said...

I love the vivid details that we remember. Who knows why certain moments stick with us for a lifetime. I wonder which ones my own little ones will carry forever???

Tulika Verma said...

:) true Helen! We never know which ones they'll carry forever...probably thats why parents always try to give the kids only good moments...in abundance! :)

Unknown said...

Nostalgic posts are always beautiful and touching.
Simply love this post.