Angelee Deodhar (In Memory—June 2018)--India

Double Helix

(Originally published, Poet of the Month honor at Whispers, December 2015)

By Angelee Deodhar

Now a housewife, once a surgeon
a template for the DNA chain
like the double helix of her being
she’s reduced to wearing latex gloves
only while housecleaning every week
meticulously she dons cap, mask, apron

on a trolley arranged with surgical precision
lie her gloves, brushes, dusters, solutions
she drapes furniture with sheets of cotton
then pulls on her gloves tightens them
her size a neat seven

she prepares the area to be cleaned
with a weak Savlon solution
swabs it as she would an abdomen
in précis deft strokes
from above below left to right
never using an extra movement

and just as she had once done in the OR
she keeps soft music on – Strauss, Vivaldi
she wonders if now her DNA double helix
carries two genes
one for housewife one for surgeon

squeeze-drying the mop each time
she scrubs the floor surgically clean
removes the trolley
absently counting her instruments
removes gloves, cap, mask, apron
the overshoes

washes off the excess powder
from her hands and creams them
looking at them critically thrombosed
blue-veined yet soft supple
she warms them with her mug of coffee
and then takes up her pen
to write a poem.

Dr. Ms Angelee Deodhar, an eye surgeon by profession as well as a haiku poet, translator, and artist, who lived in Chandigarh, India. Her haiku, haibun and haiga have been published internationally in various books, magazines and journals. An award winning poet, Angelee has also edited several translation books and encouraged others at our online journal, an uplifting beacon of light in the writing community.

Editor’s note—I was informed that Angelee Deodhar has died. Angelee has referred writers to Whispers, allowed readers to share in her expertise with Asian poetry and supported many in our writing community. She will be missed by me and others. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.