BRK

BRK

  

My father's initials

are imprinted on my heart

as they are on
every laundry tag
from Gajanan Power Laundry in Naigaum
where time stands still

He taught me to love the rain
and to walk in it
revelling in the cool drops that caress my face
to this day

I turn my face up to the sky
hoping to see someone familiar
amidst the clouds

too much Disney does this
to grown women

and on his 76th birthday
as the rain greens the Earth

I think of the man
who left too soon

who my children know well
through the stories I tell

and I say to him
Come, see who we have become
after 24 years of parting
Come, see our children
and our homes
and our dreams

As I wear my silver hair
proudly
his gift to me
I know that blessings have
guided my footsteps
how else could I have
walked this far alone?

(c)
May 15th, 2011