The poem, "You, Shiva and Mum," by poet Ruth Padel is in the perspective of either the poet, or a fictional daughter of the mother mentioned in the title. Typically, children view their parents as all powerful and their ways are mysterious.
Although the narrator of the poem describes her mother as a mortal woman--e.g. praying at a sacrificial shrine in India--the mother is also likened to deities in Hinduism. The poet portrays her mother as someone who is caring for her children, not just physically, but also spiritually.
Her mother is concerned with her son's upcoming marriage, and although an octogenarian, she travels to India during monsoon season to make her offering to the gods. The poem features Indian cultural practices and beliefs found in the Hindu religion.
However, the poem is not "ethnic literature," but is universal in showing a mother's love. In the context of deifying her mother, the poet shows that she is a compassionate "goddess." Although Shiva is known as the goddess of destruction, Shiva is also the goddess of creation and sustenance, similar to the poet's mother.
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