Mama

Michael Karam

I yearn for her bread, 
And her coffee, 
And her touch,
And my childhood takes over me
Day upon breast of day — 
I adore my life because
When I die
Her tears will shame me.

If I return, accept me
A veil for your gaze.
Clothe my bones with grass
Blessed by the serenity of your step.
Fasten my bonds…
With a lock of hair…
With a thread from the waving trail of your dress.
Maybe I’d become a god
O, a god I would become…
If I were to find my place in your heart — and stay!

If I return, place me
As fire in your oven, as fuel.
String me, on the roof of your home,
As clothesline.
If I can stand on my feet, 
Your daily prayer I thank.
I aged — give back those childhood dreams,
So I may join
The youngest of birds
On their flight back
To the nest — you smile