I Am My Grandmother's Eyes

 I am my Grandmother's Eyes.
I see my children's children
Hesitate awkwardly
When they approach me.
Nudged forward to recall
The three memorized words
With which they greet me:
Kaise ho, Daadima?
Funny, foreign tongue contortions
Which leave them fumbling
Shifting stiffly, seeking refuge
From the forced formalities.
As they wonder whether they will
Be made to do that thing where
They bow down to touch my feet,
Always strangely embarrassed.

I am my Grandmother's Eyes.
I see them light firecrackers
On the fourth of July
While the house is left
Dark on Diwali.
I watch them
Gather around a tree
Singing songs of Christ
While not even a single ladoo
Is offered to Krishna
As his birthday passes by,
Another year.

I am my Grandmother's Eyes.
I see their necks
Adorned with Aums of gold,
Sneaking in their Big Macs
Dressed in their suede, fur-lined
J. Crew Jackets
As they go to their late night parties
From which they return home
Stumbling
Aums glinting,
Swaying.

I am my Grandmother's Eyes.
Her wet, wet eyes.

......................
Notes:

Kaise ho, Daadima?   How are you, Grandma (Hindi)
Diwali:  Hindu Festival of Lights, preceding New Years
ladoo:   An Indian confection shaped as a small round ball
Krishna:  Hindu diety; a manifestation of Lord Vishnu
Aum::  Divinity in the form of a sound; has become a symbol of Hinduism.

-- by Dipti S. Barot