Gathering South Asia Through Our Eyes
for Maggie

Of water won and wonder woo
And water lost and arbor under
Sat and yellow pink and yellow
seat and granite bench and there
we sat

Ever long the last and last

Walks and through and arch and long
The arms and robes of Muslims
forward walk and
Wind and blown
We talked

And sat and yellow pink and yellow
seat and granite bench and there
we sat

the scarfs of Pakistani men were long
and on the shoulder down
and robes of Islam longer

the women Pakistani soft
and gentle tender
south and south of Asia
south
for once and first Kashmiris known

and gather motion gather words
through eye and eye and
pulled in mind and held
in mind like camera
‘neath an arbor

with gathered under
pink and pink and yellow
share and share

and rides and car and parked on brick
for mom, and mum, and mom
and green

Gathering south Asia through our eyes
Gathering pink and pink and pink
with dearest, dearest pink.

And sprinkling down south Asia
piece and piece and gently falling
Piece of dearest pink and pink and yellow

At Work the Day After
for Maggie

She of hall pulled through
The air
The surge of knowing
Deeper

After morning weep
And words through air vibration sent her
phone
evening sleep
and on the morrow
in the hall stand each of
one at ends
beyond
and tightening air
the loins of known
no words
just known
and knowing

known
and
known the air between

Mary Ann Sullivan is a Doctor of Arts student at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. She teaches writing and literature at McIntosh College in Dover, NH. The New York Times called her first novel, Child of War, set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, "an earnest first novel." She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College.

Email: Mary Ann Sullivan

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