Sister D.... Poem by RIC BASTASA

you were 5 years old
thin and
sickly,

what you cannot forget
was that birthday

when papa gave you a chicken
with white feathers
when he let you ride on his horse
to the sea

with five sisters
there is one who gave you
a brown sweater
to protect you from the cold
month of December

know what?
it is really true
you always remember
people who once
made you feel
good

their kindness sticks
to your skin

even if the seasons
change
even if time passes by
like
the way the snakes in
your place
molted their
bodies
peeling off
from one pain to another.