My Mother at Sixty Six

Ans. The poet’s mother is now sixty-six years old. When poet notices her mother’s pale and corpse like face, she gets scared. Somewhere poet has the idea that her mother will not live long. Poet was always afraid of losing her mother since her childhood. So just like ordinary human being, mere a thought of losing her mother pains poet.

Ans. The poet was traveling by car. When she looked outside, the young trees seemed to be running like sprinters. So the young trees are described as ‘sprinting’.

Ans. The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ to present a contrast. At one side merry children represent joy and full of life while on the other hand her old mother with pale face represent sorrow and the life which is about to end.

Ans. The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She has lost her shine and glow of young age. Similarly the late winter’s moon looks faded. It too lacks shine and strength. Therefore, the poet has compared her mother to the ‘late winter’s moon’.

Ans. At one side the poet was very much pained by the thoughts of losing her mother yet the time when she parts with her mother at airport, she responds with a smile and tries to hide her pain behind that smile. The parting words: “See you soon, Amma” give and assurance to the old lady.