by Soulla Christodoulou shares this amazing piece- a poem on My Pashmina.
She is an author and lives in London and is the mother of three boys. She says, “I write while working as a private tutor, book editor and offer other writing-related services and advice.
My poem for the competition was inspired by my first trip to India in February which was the most absolute epic adventure ever.”
I pull out the soft swathe of fabric
It’s been too long, a cruel trick
Twelve months or more
Market seller words ring in my ears and soar
‘Pashmina, Nice pashmina, Good quality
Beautiful silk pashmina, see?’
I twirl with it wrapped around me, sighing ooh
A mother’s love, warm and close and true
A waterfall of swathes and cascades
The touch of a hand, adoration fades
A yearning deep inside, an ache
Its colour hits me hard in the chest, I shake
The hot burnt orange of sunsets in Varanasi
Passionate streaks of red, bright green pea
Dripping with the sweet scent of spices
With hues and aromas, the air it splices
The pungent smell of urine and cow dung
But too with laughter, careless carefree fun
My soul speaks to me as I remember
The beauty of long ago August, September
The dappling golden waters of the Ganges
Water boatmen with their crying pleas
Whispered layers of a kindred spirit
I pull my pashmina closer, and sit
It’s more than a stole, it’s so much more
I’m home, I have found me, I’m on the shore.
*****
The poem is part of the submissions for the contest by Mums and Stories with HarperCollins for ‘My Pashmina’ Contest.
One can buy the book here- https://amzn.to/2IDkQ32
To pen your short story or poem on My Pashmina, check out the contest or reach us at mumsandstories@gmail.com for details
