My Grandmother’s house is poem written by famous Indian woman author, Kamala Das. It is a short autobiographical poem which was originally published in a collection of summer in Calcutta. The poet remembers her childhood life, her grandmother and friends in poem.
My Grandmother’s House Poem By Kamala Das
Summary of My Grandmother’s House By Kamala Das
The story of poem begins with poetess who says there is house which is far away from her where she received a true love. That woman died whose house was it. That woman is none other than poetess’s grandmother. As poetess’s grandmother died, that house withdrew into silence.
There were no one to live in that house. Afterwards, snakes started moving among poetess’s grandmother’s books, I was too young to read those books. As I saw the snakes among my grandmother’s books, my blood turned cold like a moon. I was very scared to see that snake.
How often I have thought to go there, to see through the window of that house, and to feel cold air, I will pick some darkness in my arms from that house and bring it to my house to put it behind my bedroom’s door.
There is nothing left in that house to bring it so I will bring darkness from that house as it is the only thing which is left there. I will bring it because I want some of part of my grandmother’s house to live with me in my home.
You cannot believe I used to live in that house where now snake and darkness are the only things which is left. The poetess says I have lost my way now, I go at stranger’s house to seek that love which I used to receive in my grandmother’s house from my grandmother.
The poem ends with poet who recollects her childhood life and her grandmother’s love throughout the poem. The poet was very very happy when she used to live in her grandmother’s house but as her grandmother died she lost true love and happiness. There is some nostalgia element in poem because poetess wants to bring some part of her grandmother’s house in her house even if it is darkness.