Question

What is a poet's familiar ache and why does it return?

Answer 1

Hint: The question is taken from the poem ‘My mother at Sixty-Six’. The poem talks about the ageing process and the uncertainty of human life. The poem also depicts the love of children for their mother.

Complete answer:
The poet was going to the airport with her mother. When she was about to bid adieu to her mother, her familiar ache returned. She always feared losing her mother because her mother was getting old and pale. Her health was deteriorating and she was very weak.

The poet was deeply pained by the ageing and decaying of her mother. She feared the death of her mother. This was her biggest familiar ache and when she was about to leave she thought that she might not be able to see her mother again. She feared that her mother might die anytime as her health was uncertain.

The poet loved her mother a lot and was frightened by the idea of losing her and facing all the things herself. She was deeply pained and it looked like her familiar ache had returned. She thought that she would never get to see her mother when she returned back home.

Note:
- The poet of the poem ‘My mother at sixty-six’ Kamala Das. She is considered as one of the foremost poets India had.
- The poem portrays the theme of ageing and with ageing comes death and separation that causes a lot of pain and suffering.