A mother unknown

I hesitate to ask

Maybe it’s her

Are you my mum?

No I’m theirs

-

Where is mine?

Is she in that photo?

She’s in another country

Now the photo is gone

-

Why isn’t she here?

Like everyone else’s?

We journey through India

I wonder what she’s like

-

We’re greeted with tears

And long embraces

I’m led to a curtain

Behind which she stands

-

Do you speak English?

No. You just did

A few words in Panjabi

I’m happy with that

-

My cousin asks to play

We pass a man pointing

That’s the girl

Whose mum passed away

-

I can’t take that truth

At the tender age of five

I’ll stick with the pretence

Keep his words to myself

-

They’re trapped inside me

Seasoned with questions

But as time passes

So do those closest to her

-

I am her legacy

My daughter is mine

Through this tie

We’re forever intertwined