Nana Doesn’t Know
She can’t help herself while talking about him
Still present tense though he’s been dead for a while
“He goes to work early in the morning
And always comes home with a hard-earned smile
Brings me samosas, vanilla ice-cream
He eats two laddu’s after every meal
For lunch he loves beef stew
He visits the dentist’s consistently
He teaches me to play good rummy.”
She can’t help herself while talking about me
Still sees her youth on my skin though 73
“You’ve got my taste in food so Malayali,
My love of cooking for the family.
I had hair just like yours, curly and thick
Your height, your smile, your eyebrows all mimic
Me as if I’m looking at a mirror.”
Maybe he saw it too.
I love her, I do, how can I tell her
To me he is a monstrous molester.
