The Marigolds Will Bloom

Atal Pamo

The marigolds bloomed

for me to put in your hair

for you to shy away from the attention

The marigolds will bloom next year

for you to put in your hair

for me to witness you

for you to feel beautiful

The marigolds will bloom

and so would you

Ngarong Aae

  I

My Aae is aware of her beautiful features

she grooms herself every morning even before the world yawns

she plaits her hair into two and ties the two into one with a vibrant hair elastic

she sways as she walks, her silhouette rising in distance

Despite occasional bouts of wheezing, she is always in for road trips

and loves to have beer with meat of course,

she is too excited to sleep before the journey

she jokes around and laughs openly, infectiously

she knows how to be cute and endearing in her age

Unlike elderly Buddhists who recite mantras around the clock

and find peace in it

Aae is rather happy being herself

I see her eyes following people, wanting to socialize, live and laugh.

Notwithstanding the social standards for an old lady,

I see her breaking biases, redefining them

I see in my Aae a new-age woman living life ahead of time.

II

My Aae is like a flower in full bloom,

few fallen petals on the ground

yet blossoming

She is eighty and in full bloom

though she often

reminds herself of her withered leaves and

the cycle of life

She hands me a list of new clothes she wants to own

but stops halfway

reminded of her ageing and

wrinkled body, knowing she is not getting any younger

She looks at the other side and begins to count her thengwa / rosary

trying her best to act according to her age

only to find herself in the end, framed before the full-bloom-fading dahlia,

wearing the dress she bought yesterday

(Editor’s note: Ngarong Aae, or Ayi, translates to ‘My grandmother’ in the poet’s ancestral language, Khampa-ke.)

Atal Pamo is an aspiring visual artist from Lower Pemako, in the Upper Siang region of Arunachal Pradesh. She is fascinated with the art of expression through different mediums. Her work delves into her emotional journey, exploring themes such as identity, home, love, internalized trauma, inherited memories and womanhood, among others.