Kala Ramesh
Letter to a mother
Dearest Amma,
I’m all excited, and I’m going to tell you about the Olive Ridley turtle!
What an experience it was.
We were 34, plus our guide, Arun.
It was past midnight.
Arun saw a turtle approaching and said, “Quiet, all of you.” The turtle slowly came ashore and waded straight in, just eight feet away from us.
She began to dig. After about thirty minutes, she started pushing the beach sand into the hole with her stomach. We assumed she had laid her eggs. Later, Arun said her graceful side-to-side movement was called the “waltz.”
Then she turned and walked back into the sea, and a large wave carried her away.
If, as a mother, she knows she has to hide her eggs from predators, doesn’t she also know what love is and possess that nurturing instinct? And yet, she goes back into the sea because she has to take care of herself, too.
A conservation team collects the future turtles to keep them safe. After they hatch, they will be returned to the ocean.
What a start to their lives – alone and brave.
Even people living in Chennai are unaware of this drama unfolding during the breeding months.
I know you love turtles, Amma, and I want you to read this when you get up. I’m going to sleep, dreaming of those baby turtles. Good night!
Warmest,
Your daughter, who wasn’t with you last night.
our kiwifruit vine
lasted over twenty years…
growing up,
this seasonal companion
taught me that waiting gives strength
About the Author
Kala Ramesh is a renowned pioneer in the field of haikai literature in India. She is the founder/director of Triveni Haikai India and the founder/managing editor of the journal haikuKATHA. Her book of haiku and haibun Beyond the Horizon Beyond (Vishwakarma Publications, 2017) was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize in 2019.