A saree is not just six yards of fabric
it is woven memory,
draped poetry!
It remembers
voices, journeys,
first kiss, last hug,
shy brides,
mourning houses and
busy kitchens.
My grandmother’s wedding saree
smelled of naphthalene.
Its zari rubbed thin
by years of washing.
My mother’s sarees
they are so different
from my grandmother’s.
They are busy
hurrying through
crowded buses, bills to pay,
tiffin boxes and office files.
Every saree has a mood.
For no reason, I wear
dark brown on difficult days
and sky blue when I want peace.
Even heartbreak has a shade
pale and washed out.
Some sarees belong to festivals,
some to sorrow,
and some to proud moments cherished,
while some others carry many lives
within their pleats.
As a little girl
I was very fond of them.
I used to hide behind them
hanging out to dry.
Sometimes I wrapped myself
in them, though badly.
I kept guessing their
colours in the old
black-and-white photographs
in dusty albums.
Unhesitatingly they absorb
both perfumes and sweat.
Tea stains and pinholes
make them look older and wiser!
Some sarees hide
in the corners of elderly almirahs
like history refusing to fade.
And finally, my own sarees.
They remember too much!
The softness of lust,
the quiet wrapping of night,
then loosening into the bed,
with the memory of my skin,
unfolded by hands that love.
A saree is not just six yards of fabric
it is woven memory,
draped poetry!
- ash 10/6/26
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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