Gathering South Asia Through Our Eyes

for Maggie

 

by Mary Ann Sullivan

 

 

  

 

 

Of water won and wonder woo

And water lost and arbor under

Sat and yellow pink and yellow

seat and granite bench and there

we sat

 

Ever long the last and last

 

Walks and through and arch and long

The arms and robes of Muslims

forward walk and

Wind and blown

We talked

 

And sat and yellow pink and yellow

seat and granite bench and there

we sat

 

the scarfs of Pakistani men were long

and on the shoulder down

and robes of Islam longer

 

the women Pakistani soft

and gentle tender

south and south of Asia

south

for once and first Kashmiris known

 

and gather motion gather words

through eye and eye and

pulled in mind and held

in mind like camera

’neath an arbor

 

with gathered under

pink and pink and yellow

share and share

 

and rides and car and parked on brick

for mom, and mum, and mom

and green

 

Gathering south Asia through our eyes

Gathering pink and pink and pink

with dearest, dearest pink.

 

And sprinkling down south Asia

piece and piece and gently falling

Piece of dearest pink and pink and yellow

 

 

 

 

 

copyright © 2008 Mary Ann Sullivan

 

Mary Ann Sullivan is a Doctor of Arts student at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.  Her first novel, Child of War, set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was named a Notable Book in Social Studies and favorably reviewed in The New York Times.   Her poetry has appeared online at The BBC's Arts Poetry Out Loud.