Rubies and Other Gems (after you were gone)For Barimama | Shikha S. Lamba

Your steel Godrej made a loud sound 
each time you opened and shut it.
Yanking the metal handle, you’d
check the lock twice, 
slamming the door shut, checking a few times more.

Sarees with tender frayed gold edges
hung inside carefully, worn a lifetime ago.
Who will wear these when I’m gone?
Shawls bathed in moth balls,
You don’t find Pashmina like this anymore.

Guarded and seldom spoken of, you kept
tiny bits and precious jewelled pieces hidden
and strings, oh strings of every kind
and gold jewellery I never saw.
We need to keep it safe, or it will be stolen, I was told.

I’ve lost most of what I had, 
hai keere paren inko - may they be eaten by insects.
I would hear your constant domestic woes, with your head shaking, 
jewelled ears dancing in contempt. Like a quiet soldier in your
conspiracy theory, I always nodded in agreement. 

I opened your precious leftovers 
after you left, still wrapped 
carefully in tattered soft tissue, 
in mouldy airline bags carrying 
the scent of you and age. 

You were right, I thought,
most is gone now. Those who wear your gems
didn’t know you but stole from you, and
knew that they were never trusted.  And,
your locks weren’t as secure as you thought. 

So I did what the British did to you,
divide and conquer, between your seven grandchildren.
150 odd pearls, faceted emerald rondelles, 30 gold beads, 
3 strings of sapphires, and rubies split equally, 
strung tight in your memory with one gold bangle each. 

Shikha S. Lamba is a jewellery designer and poet living in Hong Kong. She is also the co-editor of an online magazine, Coffee and Conversations. In love with all things creative, she has contributed poetry and articles for various publications in Hong Kong, the US and India over the years. Passionate about raising awareness about women’s health and mental health issues through her writing, Shikha’s poems often touch on themes of feminism and social injustice.
She admittedly lives a big portion of her life online and can be found on most social media sites for her jewellery, magazine and writing.