Question

Why did the poetess look at young trees and merry children

Answer 1

The poetess, Kamla Das looked at young trees and merry children to divert her mind from the sad and melancholy thoughts her mind had started thinking. She was sitting in the car beside her mother. Her mother had dozed off. The poetess observed that her mother had grown quite old and weak. Her face was looking ashen like that of corpse. The fearful thoughts related to the imminent death of her mother began disturbing her. In order to stop these thoughts, she looked out of the car at the young trees speeding past and children running out of their houses to play. This allayed her fears aslo. 

Answer 2

On the way to the airport with her mother, the poet notices how her mother’s face looks distressed and pale. Moreover, the sight of her sleeping with her mouth open make her look like a corpse. These thoughts upset her greatly and she looks out of the window to remove those negative feelings from her mind. She watches the trees passing by and the children playing memory. This makes the poet recall how her mother was also quite young once.