Bio
Meenakshi Palaniappan, from Singapore, is a quiet observer of the world around her. A teacher by profession, she enjoys playing with words to paint pictures.
Meenakshi Palaniappan
Journey to Motherhood
When I think of my deep longing for you,
the endless temple rounds across oceans,
icy baths at holy wells, train rides to
hill-top shrines to drink bitter concoctions,
I feel pain. My own body betrayed me,
month after month, taunting me red. I failed.
Despite the fasts, prayers, lamps lit with ghee-
Nothing.
We took to absurd positions for you.
Legs in the air well after the matter,
revolving doctors, popping pills anew.
IUI*. Again. Ready to shatter.
When the last rays of hope thinned to despair,
a blue line by the red said you were there.
*IUI is an abbreviation of a fertility treatment known as Intrauterine Insemination.