My life began here, Maa begins,
meaning, she wasn’t born
here—she was that young
when first married to Baba. When
dreaming of their hours in a small one-
room space in Sunset Park, I want . . .
what? The train stalls now close to Penn
Station; I’m cold and the placid pond
outside the broad window is no scene
I care to name . . . still, I squint
at these tenements which once
served as sanctuary to Maa & Baba in
those first days. Where now are the secrets
between two strangers who made my eyes?
Copyright © 2026 by Tarfia Faizullah. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 1, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
