(no subject)

[meandyouyouyou.livejournal.com]

Long Distance

Saba, I say. It's me.
He thinks I am my sister. I correct him twice,
then ask, How are you? The weather in Israel?

He asks when I will come see him.
Hanukkah, I say.
My birthday, he says.

His eye eyes the crumbs flung from my far-off shore,
where I splash my feet at the ducks,
instead of becoming

the ducks. The cotton button-down
hangs loose and wrinkled. Dried
apricots on the table, a cup of mint-leaf tea—

I can smell him. Something is burning
on the top of this mountain.

- Maya Pindyck

Comments

[aimlesswanderer.livejournal.com]

The first word (saba is 'breeze' or 'wind' in farsi/urdu) and I knew I'd love this! What a soulful poem.

./w

[onibasu.livejournal.com]

In this context (in Hebrew) it means 'grandpa'/'grandfather'. :)

[aimlesswanderer.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, sorry, I should've mentioned the poet is using the word as a person's name here (it's kind of obvious though).

./w