the way
you’d say
my name
sometimes
slowly
deliberately
watching
waiting
for my pupils
to dilate

your ten-pound six-year-old
monkey-child
challenged me

loudly
while hanging
one-armed

to swing my way
across the ten
jungle gym bars

so I did it
to her open-mouthed
surprise

let’s not tell her
my muscles
are sore today

the avocados are slowly increasing in size
elongating like fat green water droplets
held together by surface tension
but gradually being pulled earthward
by their heavy bottoms

it won’t be too long
before they drop
into my waiting hands

for weeks now
my siblings have been
picking the nectarines
before they can ripen
citing a preference
for crisp and tart
thwarting my desire
for not-so-green fruit

but they missed a gem
slightly hidden
behind a trio of leaves
on the highest branch
a fully ripened surprise
with veins of ruby-red running
from skin to seed
and sweet juicy-soft flesh
warm as the setting sun

he sends texts
to himself
when he is upset
and it is too late
to bother her

he knows
she wouldn’t approve
but she is a light sleeper
and the emotions
will pass

and seeing the messages
twice in a row
makes him laugh
calms him
gets him through the night

when we are near
i go quiet
with concentration

not from
deep thoughts
or strong emotions

but counting
to three
on every in-breath
and exhale

reminding
my body how
to breathe

he cooks me breakfast
on the last day of each visit
before accompanying me
to the airport

dishes that fill the apartment
and permeate our clothes
with delicious smells
that linger for hours

this morning i left his car
trailing lumpia and fried rice

the previous time we rode BART
advertising chicken and waffles

i think i might protest
if he ever tried to send me off
with weak-scented meals
of porridge or pancakes or fruit

a city bird sings
to herself
at four in the morning
when there is no traffic
down california

two short whistled notes
immediately echoed
by the multi-storeyed walls
of corner apartments

a hopeful cry
to empty streets
that is returned
again and again