Poetry
Remembering Daisy
A Poem by PARVINDER MEHTA
In memory of Damanjeet Kaur, Johns Creek, Georgia, USA -- loving mother of Sartaj Singh and Gurtej Singh, devoted wife of Shivinder Singh ...
I lost her to unexplained reasons,
fumbling, rummaging, delving,
grappling with queries, I wonder why.
Shock batters my mind,
words of reasons choke me
in silence. The whys and what ifs
struggling out of unspoken stillness,
fearsome speculations, unasked questions,
untold answers, nudge me to think
about him. Could he? Did he? But why?
How could he? His tranquil demeanor and kind charm
seemed a perfect match to her serene smiles.
Their grace still etched in memories
of gatherings, celebrations, prayers, chance
meetings, entailed in this diasporic friendship.
My mind wanders to those earlier days before
motherhood, when we learned kirtan together.
Tracing melodies on the harmonium, our voices,
learning rhythms of blissful lyrics, nervous fingers
careful with caution not to slip on the wrong note.
Singing those blessed lyrics of love, compassion,
separation, and divine reunion, we became sisters
in music, simply following notes of life with
care, hopes and aspirations.
I still remember—
those glimmering eyes when
she welcomed her first-born, sharing
birthing joys and growing pains with
graceful gratitude. That smile when she
congratulated me for new motherhood,
still warms my heart. That affection at their
housewarming, the symphony of thanksgiving
as we celebrated their new home, and joys
of parenthood linger in pleasant recall.
Those walls with beautiful family pictures,
canvasses of memories, sculptures of art
and souvenirs from happy travels, materialize
those images from past. That charming
voice of her first-born proudly reciting speeches
to large audiences, impressing them with marvel
and pride, still echoes in annals of the mind.
Those goodbyes when she moved on to a
new city in hopes, wishes, ambitions for
better prospects— I remember it all,
I remember it all.
I refuse to imagine –
those tears and screams
when death assaulted them
those last moments of horrible cognition,
the guilt of departure, shame and extinction.
I see her, not as a victim, a statistic.
I see her not in the borrowed picture with
frozen smiles. I see her not in the horror
of painful battery and cruel termination.
I see her instead in nostalgic memories of
heartwarming moments – of kindness, service
and thankful acknowledgements.
I see her in the perennial daisies
with pristine charm, surrendering to ephemeral
life. No blame, no guilt, no question marks.
Bidding farewell, left with strands of her memories,
I smell those daisies, cherishing fragrant moments
when her smiles brightened us all. Resting in peace
in that eternal abode, I imagine her singing those
lyrics of the soul. Divine love embracing her,
no care, no worry, all in spiritual bliss and heavenly
grace. Only love subsuming everyone
Goodbye my friend, goodbye…
farewell my friend, rest in peace.
February 8, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), February 08, 2013, 12:45 PM.
God bless her soul ...
2: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, Connecticut, USA), February 08, 2013, 1:00 PM.
Exquisite! May you find the strength to deal with this loss.
3: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), February 08, 2013, 1:13 PM.
Parvinder, your words penetrate the soul. Can you imagine our grief - that we let this happen to your sister, your friend, lovely Daisy, with our eyes wide shut.
4: Nawal (South Burlington, Vermont, USA), February 08, 2013, 1:58 PM.
Oh, Parvinder, I am so so sorry to hear this sad news. May they rest in peace and God give us strength to live gracefully. Your poem is moving. God bless!
5: Naveen (Canton, Michigan, USA), February 08, 2013, 2:29 PM.
Waheguru ...
6: Manjit Kaur (Frederick, Maryland, USA), February 08, 2013, 3:27 PM.
A very tragic ending to a beautiful Sikh family. May Waheguru bless their souls. May we all be blessed and offer our hearts to our brothers and sisters and not live with our eyes wide shut, as mentioned by Gurmeet Kaur.
7: Jaspreet Singh (West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA), February 08, 2013, 4:12 PM.
Touching ... fond memories come rushing back!
8: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), February 08, 2013, 4:53 PM.
"Ki-aa jaanaa ki-aa ho-igaa ree maa-ee" [GGS:357.1] - "How do I know what will happen to me, O my mother?"
9: Pashaura Singh (Riverside, California,, USA), February 08, 2013, 7:17 PM.
Wonderful poetic tribute! I knew this family from my University of Michigan days. It is beyond imagination to comprehend the tragic end of this gursikh family. May Akal Purakh bless their souls.
10: Harvind Kaur Singh (Northbrook, Illinois, USA), February 08, 2013, 9:30 PM.
Thank you for remembering her so passionately. This she deserves. No answers will ever provide solace.
11: Anupam (California, U.S.A.), February 08, 2013, 9:39 PM.
Beautiful ... and our prayers too for Daisy. Warm thoughts of concern also go out for Shiv, who we all knew as very kind and gentle.
12: Sarjit Kaur (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), February 08, 2013, 10:45 PM.
This family was very blessed ... the idea of them being involved in a murder-suicide is simply incredulous. There have to be other explanations.
13: Upinder (New Delhi, India), February 09, 2013, 6:13 AM.
We are absolutely in shock. They were a very happy, loving and God-fearing family. We did face time call with them 2 weeks ago and the smiling faces of Daisy, Sartaj and Gurtej are still afresh in our minds. Both Daisy and Shiv were highly educated, super intelligent, had decent jobs and lovely kids ... but what a tragic ending. We can only pray to Waheguru to bless their souls with peace and give our family strength to get through this trying and painful time. Daisy was the youngest sister of my wife, Nikki, who was in Atlanta for the funeral. Thanks to the police, media, neighbours, friends and gurudwara for doing their best for all of our family members and for keeping us abreast of the latest news.
14: Iqbal Singh Bhan (Canton, Michigan, USA), February 10, 2013, 9:25 PM.
Parvinder, you wrote the poem so well that I could not stop my tears reading it again and again. Very sad but what can we do for our community is very important. Thanks for expressing your feelings in such a beautiful way. God bless.
15: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, USA), February 11, 2013, 6:38 PM.
Beautiful and heart-touching poem. I never knew this family but it seems like a family like mine and like so many others I know, blessed with two beautiful children, trying and practicing Sikhi each day. What happened here? I have not been able to stop thinking about them since last week. I pray Waheguru gives them all four shelter in his home and gives us all the strength to accept this 'bhaana'.
16: Lilly (Roselle, Illinois, USA), March 24, 2013, 12:12 PM.
Parvinder, what a sweet poem. She had touched so many lives, and yet was so private. Never did she show off her knowledge, her talents, and all the seva she did for family, friends and strangers. She made everyone feel so special- always asking how they were doing but never divulging or sharing what was inside her heart. I have lost my most precious baby sister. She was the youngest but gave so much moral support as I fought cancer. I have lost my pillar of strength. I have lost those precious nephews who so remind me of Guru Gobind Singh ji's chhote sahibzadeys. So brave to have fought their death by someone they so trusted. Parvinder, I would love to talk to you. Could you please share me your telephone number at gagandeepcheema@aol.com. Guru Rakha.
17: Surjit Kaur Sandhu (Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA ), March 26, 2013, 10:23 PM.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful poem on Daisy. Her grave is in our heart.
18: Upinder (New Delhi, India), September 16, 2016, 10:52 PM.
Parwinder, going through this poem again today, you have touched every angle of their superb character. Uncontrollable tears just rolled down as everything flashed back. We haven't got any answers for this tragic ending of a dedicated Gursikh family. We have to settle at "Waheguru ji knows it all." RIP ...