What Cannot Be Shared
What Cannot Be Shared
We draw lines on a map
call this side ours
the other side yours
taken so seriously
a silly business
land belongs to land
We protect
our bodily space
step back, turn away
in our home,
my studio
your office
our shared family room
As a poet, an artist
my voice, your style
memory, mine to interpret
not yours to rewrite
our roles—you fix
and cook
I make sourdough bread
A dear sister
comes to visit, yet
she cannot join me here
Pain, a lonely island
owned only by this skin
Amrita, sister, I read this slowly. There is so much truth in it. The way you move from borders on a map to the borders of a home, and finally to pain that belongs only to the person carrying it, stayed with me. Some things can be understood, but never completely shared. Thank you for writing this and sharing it with us. ❤️
“Pain a lonely island…”. So difficult and true. I can only see you on that island and quietly witness. Thank you, dear Amrita, for giving voice for those on their own shores.