PETITE CHANSON*
My mother asks
about the black spots
on my cheeks
over and over
when I sit
beside her
on the sofa.
The smudgy patch
of melasma
is visible to her sharp eye,
as she remembers once,
I had a flawless face.
It is not her fault.
She does not mean to annoy
when she asks
over and over.
like the chorus of a song.
She is worn down.
Full only
with old memories.
Places are lost.
Time is lost.
Joy is fleeting.
She smiles at me,
repeating questions
that she forgot
were on her lips
before.
*Little Song
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan is an award-winning author and voice-over artist whose books and narration span genres, audiences, and continents, celebrating culture, language, and storytelling across media.
.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles
Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International
Borderless 