When My Brother Was Made

Those nights when I thought
Moon was just a plate of curdrice
Eaten by gods night after night
Gradually replenished several nights
Those several nights
Of waxing and waning moon
I slept between my parents
As the lonely moon furrowed deep
I woke to weep, feeling around
With my hands – found neither
Several days, my aunt asked
That moonless, dark, holy night
Do you want a baby brother
Or a baby sister to play with?
As the moon slowly waxed further
Deep in my mother’s womb

(1999)