Quick answer: In My Mother at Sixty-six, Kamala Das describes a drive to Cochin airport during which she suddenly notices how old and frail her mother looks. The sight brings back her childhood fear of losing her mother, but she hides the pain, says a cheerful goodbye and keeps smiling. The poem is about ageing, the fear of separation and the love that makes us hide our worries from the people we care about.
My Mother at Sixty-six is the first poem in Flamingo, the CBSE Class 12 English Core textbook, and it is on the 2026-27 syllabus. It is short, and exam questions usually focus on its images: the mother's face, the "sprinting" trees, the children, the winter moon and the forced smile at the end. This page explains the poem in simple English, part by part, with the poetic devices, answers to all five NCERT questions, extra exam questions and a short summary in Hindi.
About the poet: Kamala Das
Kamala Das (1934–2009) was born in Malabar, Kerala. She wrote poetry in English and fiction in both English and Malayalam; her Malayalam writing appeared under the name Madhavikutty. Her poems are known for their honest, personal voice: she writes about family, love, loneliness and the inner life of women in plain, direct language. My Mother at Sixty-six shows this style clearly. It reads like a private memory told to the reader, without decoration.
My Mother at Sixty-six summary
The poet is driving from her parents' home to the airport at Cochin on a Friday morning, and her mother is sitting beside her in the car. When the poet glances at her, she sees that her mother has dozed off with her mouth open. Her face looks grey and lifeless, so much that the poet compares it to the face of a dead body. In that moment the poet realises, with real pain, that her mother is as old as she looks and may not live much longer.
The thought is too painful, so she pushes it away and looks out of the car window instead. Outside, everything is young and full of energy: trees seem to rush past the moving car, and happy children are running out of their houses. This lively scene is the opposite of what she has just seen inside the car.
At the airport, after the security check, the poet stands a few yards away and looks at her mother once more. Her mother's face is pale and weak, like the dim moon of late winter. The poet feels a familiar ache: the same fear she had as a child, the fear of losing her mother. Yet she does not show it. All she says is "see you soon, Amma", and all she does is smile and keep smiling, hiding her sadness so that the parting stays cheerful.
Summary in short (about 100 words)
On the way to Cochin airport, Kamala Das looks at her sleeping mother and notices that her face is pale and lifeless like a corpse. She realises that her mother has grown old and that she may lose her soon. To escape this painful thought, she looks outside at the young trees and the merry children, symbols of youth and life. At the airport she looks at her mother again, who seems as pale as a late winter's moon, and feels her old childhood fear of separation. Still, she hides her feelings, says "see you soon, Amma" and keeps smiling.
Explanation, part by part
The poem is written as one long sentence held together by commas, as if the poet is thinking aloud in a single breath. It can be read in four parts.
Part 1: The drive and the sleeping mother
The poet is leaving her parents' home for Cochin. Beside her, her mother falls asleep with her mouth open. The poet describes her face as "ashen like that of a corpse": grey, colourless and still. This is a shocking comparison, and it is meant to be. Suddenly the poet sees her mother not as the strong parent of her childhood but as an old woman nearing the end of her life.
Part 2: The painful realisation
The poet realises "with pain" that her mother is as old as she looks. This is the emotional centre of the poem. Every child knows that parents grow old, but here the knowledge suddenly becomes real and personal. The pain comes from the fear that the mother will die and the poet will be left without her.
Part 3: Looking away at life outside
Unable to bear the thought, the poet puts it away and looks outside. She sees "young trees sprinting" and "merry children spilling out of their homes". The trees seem to run backwards because the car is moving fast, and the children pour out of their homes full of energy. Both images stand for youth, speed and life. They are the opposite of the still, ageing mother in the car. Looking at them is the poet's way of escaping her fear, at least for a while. The fast-moving trees also suggest that time is passing quickly and cannot be stopped.
Part 4: The goodbye at the airport
After the security check, the poet looks at her mother again from a little distance. Now the mother looks "wan, pale as a late winter's moon". A late winter moon is dim, weak and about to fade, just as the mother's life seems to be fading. The poet feels "that old familiar ache", the childhood fear of being separated from her mother. But she hides it completely. She only says "see you soon, Amma" and smiles again and again. The words are hopeful and the smile is brave, but the reader understands the sadness and fear behind them.
Theme and central idea
The central idea of the poem is the fear of losing a parent to old age and death. The poem shows how a grown-up daughter, who is busy with her own life, suddenly sees that her mother has become old and fragile. Other ideas run through the poem:
- Ageing and the passage of time: the mother's pale face is set against the fast-moving trees and running children, which shows how youth passes and old age arrives.
- Love between mother and child: the poet's pain comes from deep love. She cannot imagine life without her mother.
- Hiding emotions: the poet chooses not to share her fear. She covers it with a promise ("see you soon") and a smile, which is what many people do when parting from someone they love.
- Helplessness: nobody can stop a parent from growing old. The poet can only look away, and then smile.
Poetic devices in My Mother at Sixty-six
| Device | Example from the poem | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | Her face "ashen like that of a corpse" | Shows how lifeless and old the sleeping mother looks |
| Simile | "pale as a late winter's moon" | Compares the mother to a dim, fading moon: weak, old and near the end |
| Personification / imagery | "young trees sprinting" | The trees seem to run; they stand for youth and the speed of time |
| Imagery / metaphor | "merry children spilling out of their homes" | Children pour out like a liquid; a picture of life and energy |
| Contrast | Old, sleeping mother vs. young trees and lively children | Makes the mother's age and weakness stand out |
| Repetition | "smile and smile and smile" | Shows the effort of keeping up a brave face |
| Single sentence and enjambment | The whole poem runs on with commas | Feels like one continuous flow of thought and emotion |
| Free verse | No regular rhyme or metre | Gives the poem a natural, conversational tone |
NCERT question answers (Think it out)
1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
The poet feels the pain of realising that her mother has grown very old and may soon die. Seeing her mother's pale, lifeless face makes her afraid of losing her. This is "that old familiar ache": the same fear of separation from her mother that she felt as a child. It is a mix of love, helplessness and fear of loss.
2. Why are the young trees described as 'sprinting'?
The poet is in a moving car, so the trees outside seem to be running past very fast. "Sprinting" also shows youth, energy and speed. The young, fast trees are a contrast to the old, still mother. They also suggest that time is moving quickly and life is passing.
3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes'?
The happy, energetic children are an image of youth and life. They contrast with the poet's ageing mother, who looks lifeless as she sleeps. The poet looks at them to take her mind off the painful thought of her mother's old age. The image also reminds us that, unlike the children, the mother's youth has passed.
4. Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'?
A moon in late winter looks pale, dim and hazy, as if it is fading. The mother looks just as pale and weak. Winter also stands for the last part of life, so the comparison shows that the mother is in her old age and near the end of her life.
5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
The words "see you soon, Amma" express hope that she will see her mother again, and they are meant to comfort the mother. The repeated smile shows that the poet is hiding her fear and sadness behind a brave face. Together, they show her love: she does not want to upset her mother, even though she herself is worried about losing her.
Extra important questions for the board exam
Where was the poet going, and who was with her?
She was driving from her parents' home to the airport at Cochin on a Friday morning. Her mother was sitting beside her in the car.
Why does the poet compare her mother's face to that of a corpse?
While sleeping with her mouth open, the mother's face looked grey and lifeless. The comparison shows how old and weak she had become, and it hints at the poet's fear of her death.
What does the poet do to get rid of the painful thought?
She puts the thought away and looks out of the window at the young trees and the happy children, things full of life, to distract herself.
What contrast does the poet draw in the poem?
She contrasts the old, pale, sleeping mother inside the car with the young, fast-moving trees and the lively children outside. The contrast is between old age and youth, decay and energy, and the end of life and its beginning.
What is the significance of the title?
The title points to the mother's age. At sixty-six she is old and frail, and the whole poem is about the poet's sudden awareness of this and her fear of losing her.
FAQs
Who wrote My Mother at Sixty-six?
Kamala Das, an Indian poet from Kerala (1934–2009). The poem is the first poem in the Class 12 Flamingo textbook.
What is the central theme of My Mother at Sixty-six?
The fear of losing a parent to old age, shown through the poet's sudden realisation that her mother has grown old.
Why is the poem written as one sentence?
The single sentence, joined by commas, follows the poet's continuous flow of thought, moving between what she sees outside and what she feels inside.
What is "the old familiar ache" in the poem?
It is the poet's childhood fear of being separated from her mother, which returns when she sees how old her mother looks.
My Mother at Sixty-six summary in Hindi
कवयित्री कमला दास अपने माता-पिता के घर से कोचीन हवाई अड्डे की ओर कार से जा रही हैं। उनकी माँ पास में बैठी हैं और सो जाती हैं। सोती हुई माँ का चेहरा पीला और निर्जीव-सा दिखता है, जिसे देखकर कवयित्री को दुख के साथ एहसास होता है कि उनकी माँ सचमुच बूढ़ी हो चुकी हैं और शायद ज़्यादा दिन साथ न रहें।
इस दुखद विचार से बचने के लिए वह खिड़की से बाहर देखती हैं, जहाँ तेज़ी से पीछे छूटते पेड़ और घरों से खुशी-खुशी निकलते बच्चे दिखते हैं। ये दृश्य जवानी और जीवन के प्रतीक हैं, जो बूढ़ी माँ से बिलकुल अलग हैं।
हवाई अड्डे पर सुरक्षा जाँच के बाद वह माँ को फिर देखती हैं। माँ का चेहरा सर्दियों के अंत के धुँधले चाँद जैसा फीका लगता है। कवयित्री के मन में बचपन का वही पुराना डर लौट आता है, माँ से बिछड़ने का डर। फिर भी वह अपनी भावनाएँ छिपा लेती हैं, बस इतना कहती हैं "जल्दी मिलेंगे, अम्मा" और मुस्कुराती रहती हैं।
All chapters: Class 12 notes and summaries (Flamingo, Vistas, Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
Flamingo prose: The Last Lesson summary · Lost Spring summary · Deep Water summary
Source: NCERT, Flamingo (Textbook in English for Class XII, Core Course), Poetry 1, "My Mother at Sixty-six" by Kamala Das, reprint 2026-27 (ncert.nic.in). Syllabus checked against the CBSE Senior Secondary Curriculum 2026-27. Last checked: 5 October 2026.
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