Mother's Words of Wisdom (Bandam M'day)

Two pages. Please click on each text twice to read the poem.

Dear KI and Khmerization,

Almost a year ago, my beloved mother passed away. To commemorate the first anniversary of her passing away, I would highly appreciate if you can post the following in her memory.

Many thanks,

Davan Long
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Mother’s Words of Wisdom (Bandam M’day)

My late mother once said that half of her died when my father passed away during the KR in 1977, and that the sole reason her other half was still alive was because she could not imagine the environment and the state of moral in which her children grew up without a father and a mother.

The attached poem, which I wrote under her guidance a while ago, tells the emotional and physical struggles and hardships that she went through as she did her utmost to raise the children alone in our war-torn country and in Canada. It is also a vivid reminder to all, especially the younger generation, that for many Khmer women who lost their husbands during Pol Pot’s regime, the despair and destitution did not end with the fall of that regime, but continued to weight heavily on their daily lives many years after they had settled in the West. As a single parent, not only they had to cope with countless physical ordeals but more painfully they had to overcome all kinds of unjust prejudices against them from within their own communities.

To commemorate the first anniversary of her passing away, I would like to dedicate this poem to her and all other Khmer women who made lifetime sacrifices so that their children can have a bright and prosperous future.

May their soul be blessed and forever rest in peace.

Davan Long,
September 01, 2010
Montreal, Canada