Bonda

I was home this past weekend visiting ibu yang tua. One thing I must do when home is to walk around mum's garden and look at her plants. And take photos. She's an avid gardener with lots of pretty flowering plants in her lawn.

And I can tell if she's been well or otherwise by the state of her plants. This time around, there are no new pots that I can see. And whatever flowers there are in the garden are from old plants. But her vegetable plot is newly sowed so that is a good sign. She admits, mak pun dah tak larat nak pergi tengok pokok bunga. Nevertheless there is still an array of pretty flowers found.

Pretty roses.

The exotic birds of paradise (that I once planted in my own lawn and then threw away because they never did flower but on the other hand never stop having bright flowers in mum's garden). A long time ago mum had asked ni pokok apa? We said orang putih panggil birds of paradise. So mum had literally translated it as burung syurga since, which I like.

Frangipani (I love frangipanis). She has all the colors - yellow, white, pink and the brightest red. Early morning is the best time to smell the sweet flowers.

An assortment of pretty hibiscus.

I do not recall what these are called - a type of orchids, that I know. Mum used to have these when I was tiny. And now years later, she started replanting them again.

A delight - amongst the flaming red lily and orchids in mum's debilitating garden I found Snoopy in his ice-hockey attire!


When I was very young I was always sad when Sun came and anybody who came home left for the city again. It means - ? I dont know what it means, but I know I felt sad. I wonder now if mum feels that way too this afternoon, sitting at the table behind the blinds as she waved us off.

Ya Allah, ampunlah ibuku. Rahmatkanlah ibuku. Masukkanlah ibuku antara golongan yang sedikit. Ameen. (Tolong doakan juga untuk ibu saya. Jazakallah.)

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