A sprint around the block
on your mark
gets set
go
last in the race
but the first for her truely’s kulaso
“berawatat”
our medals wrapped in her kulaso
Brook’s OG
my sweetie
with every ኵላሶ kulaso stuffed
and the cause of all double chins
she gathered a huge kulaso, bite her tougue to her left side and said
“enke” or “enka” and noded
And you?
all the himabashas, each equally lined, straight in that perfect circle with the top of her farketa
all the white breads
all the rich teas
all the pasta (with extra sugo)
all the injera, shiro and gue berbere
all the maltesers and coke
all the popcorn, the smell of etan and the pistachio nuts you could have dreamed of
all the apple – eaten dry to the bone – in the world
all the warmth and encouragement
all the Tigrinya you learnt
ብስምምዕ ምስ Bes’meam
Gual Andat would yell,
“ናዓ ናዓ” (“ne’a ne’a”) “ወዲ wedi kusto”
– kusto –
and fed you & all the biggest kulaso of all
not once
but twice
You drifted off to sleep to the sweet sweet whispers of her prayers
Our lalabye as she counted her brown roasemary beads,
praying to Amlak and all the siants and angels
Do you remember how it moved you?
On your mark,
gets set,
kedu belu
And your kulaso? –
little one who hid in the toilet –
the blurry, shocking, unwanted
Half a disgusting kulaso
of a senef,
No thank you.
On your mark
ገስረጥ (gesret)
ኪድ (kid)
Simone Biles’ Grandma
(shet meanta)
On your mark,
gets set,
kidi beli mearey
Adane dea neowwww keyda
to all the tesmi-free kulasos
ደሓን ሕደር Dehan hederie
ጋኣት Ga’at tedererie
I-I-I love you too
Zara Tewolde-Berhan 