before we left home
January 25, 2008
before we left home
you said
these streets flowed with gold
you told us
we could keep our names if we wanted
& then
you changed them
you promised
we would go back every year
//remember
every word we heard
thru the walls
& waters
of the womb
you never mentioned
that memory works
like a cranky camera:
chaos
of stops & starts
awkward stills drained of warmth
the sepia of desire
dulled
© 2008 tahminah ‘tina’ zaman/N.A.M.A.A.Z
“north beach, san francisco” credit: amal mongia
