Anna Mani

For Anna Mani ( August 23, 1918 – August 18, 2001)

The brave women I knew have grown old.
Each was like a tree, or like a lighthouse,
or like a gull circling the lighthouse,
or like a dolphin, circling the gull,
who circles the lighthouse,
as my thoughts circle
inadvertently.

Suniti Namjoshi , U.K
© Suniti Namjoshi, 2001

Miss Anna Mani Meteorologist and Wind Energy Pioneer 1918-2001

Legacy

The wind has taken her :
it has taken her saris,
miles of handspun cotton.
It has taken her golden retriever,
her brilliance, even
her refusal to marry.
The wind has taken her :
her mountaineer’s stance,
the unstoppable laugh,
her birdwatcher’s eyes,
and what remained
of her sound, graceful body.
She’s left us,
left us the wind:
we feel her here in Nova Scotia
rustling in our hearts,
still with us.
A child in an Indian village
never knew Anna’s name:
but she laughs as a windmill whirls
high overhead.

Mary Fillmore, U.S.A
© Mary Fillmore, 2001