This poem has been written by Kamala Das. She is a renowned poet as well as a short story writer. She writes both in English as well as Malayalam. Her autobiography entitled My Story (English) was published in 1976.  It is interesting to note that she was also shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in 1984. She has written some important volumes like Summer in Kolkata, Sirens, The Descendents and some others. In the present poem the opening lines are-

          “ There is a house now far way where once

          I received love. That woman died,

          The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved

          Among books I was then too young

          To read, and, my blood turned cold like the moon.”

In the above lines Kamala Das says that there was a house where once she received love. It was the house of her grandmother. After the death of the grandmother the house withdrew into silence. It means that the grandmother was the soul of her house. In that house there was also a library but after the death of the grandmother snakes used to move among the books. By watching these snakes the blood of the poetess turned cold like the moon. Thus, the poetess has used here a beautiful simile and compared the coldness of blood to moon. In the next few lines she says that-

          “How often I think of going

          There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or

          Just listen to the frozen air,

          Or in wild despair, pick an armful of

          Darkness to bring it here to lie

          Behind my bedroom’s door like a brooding Dog…

In above lines the poetess is no more a child and she is remembering her grandmother’s house. She wishes to go there and look through the windows which are now full of dust and thus, blind. She wants to feel the air which is now frozen because there is no one to feel the warmth of that air. She is missing her grandmother’s house badly. She is so nostalgic that she wants to captivate the darkness of her lovely grandmother’s house. She wants to keep that darkness beside her bedroom’s door like a pet dog. It means that she can find her delight even the shadow and darkness of her grandmother’s house. This comparison of the darkness to a dog is a simile which can have different interpretations. Darkness is a symbol of inertness whereas a dog is known for alertness. Thus, we can find a perfect blend of death and life. In the next few lines she says that-

          “ you cannot believe, darling

          Can you, that I lived in such a house and

          Was proud, and loved…I who have lost

          My way and beg now at strangers, doors to

          Receive love, at least in small change?

In the above lines she is talking to her husband about the house of her grandmother. She was proud because she was loved there. Now she is feeling lonely in her life and wants solace from strangers. It seems that she is unhappy with her present life. This can be one of the reasons that she is remembering her grandmother’s house. Her life has become loveless and even after her marriage she is not feeling happy.

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