I was eleven then.
One plus one is two;
That's all I knew.
The one who pointed towards the sun
Showed me to see directly into its eyes
Raising chin.
Is now a star among many
That's what Grandma used to say.
Many nights, I found him
Blinking
Sometimes waving his hands for me;
Many a nights, I lost him
Because a bird called me
With many a songs of her.
The one who gave me a parrot
Showed us how to sing
Throbbing throat
Fair as the moon light.
Is now a bird among many
That's what Grandma used to say.
I remember sitting with Grandma
Under starry skies
I remember talking to the stars and the birds
Under dry caresses
I remember spending nights on her lap
Asking her
How come one plus one is two ?
Why not three, four or eleven ?
Why not zero ?
Where did my father go ?
Where did my mother go ?
Why aren't they near me anymore ?
You are eleven now;
That's what Grandma used to say.
That's what she used to say.
