Legacy of my Grandmother

By Ali Ashhar

My maternal grandmother narrates
me a story of my mother
she was the child who 
gifted her the most beautiful
essence of her existence—
motherhood
she smiles and recalls my
mother’s first day at school when
she was only two and a half
and got inducted into a new chapter of life
on witnessing my inquisitiveness
my grandmother turns the page 
and tells several other
instances; it was like
reliving my childhood
umpteen emotions sync as I tell 
my grandmother that I was the top 
rank holder of my grade
as mamma used to be. 

Women don’t raise kids
they raise generations
they don’t leave behind some memories
they leave behind a legacy….
I tell my grandmother—
you raised her
just like she raised me. 

Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer and columnist from Jaunpur, India. He is the author of the poetry collection, Mirror of Emotions. Following the release of his book, he was chosen as the Best Debut Author for the year 2021 by The Indian Awaz and was the recipient of a India Prime 100 Authors Award. His works appear in Indian Review, The Raven Review and The Bosphorus Review of Books, among others.