Hadiyyah Kuma: A Brief History of Mother
Photo: Joanna C. Valente
A Brief History of Mother
1
Almost something
But not even a thought
2012
While mother sleeps
I pull darkness over my head
And watch another YouTube video
Possibly prepared to die
2028
While mother sleeps
I sit on barren ground
Counting what is left
of the grass blades
2010
While mother sleeps
I pull lazy dandelions
From the grass
And tuck them to sleep
2000
While mother sleeps
I tread the fluids
Drinking the stomach
Waiting for air
2030
When mother wakes,
She won’t be here
but
Neither will I
2019
While mother sleeps
I close the window
To keep the hotness
Outside
2029
While mother sleeps
I listen to the radio and hear
We are going to be
First, or maybe second
2015
While mother sleeps
Father says
Global warming is a hoax
And passes me a cookie
2030
While mother sleeps
I close the window
Though I know it won’t
Stop the annihilation
2007
My friend Katie says
We are all dying slowly
I wish the earth would spin
A little bit faster
2015
While mother sleeps
I google, “depression quiz.”
The results tell me how
I’m falling apart
2020
While mother sleeps
I google, “how much longer?”
The results tell me how
We might burn or sink
2030
I call some family members
Just to have them on the phone
But most of their voices are
Already gone
1990
While mother sleeps
I consider being born
The shape of my head
Comes to mind
2030
It’s not fair
I actually wanted
To live today
0
Almost nothing
Barely a thought
Hadiyyah Kuma is from Toronto, Ontario. Her work has been or will be featured in places like The Jellyfish Review, The Aerogram, Cosmonauts Avenue, and Mojave Heart. Find more of her writing at https://dedicatedrambler.wordpress.com/writing/. (Twitter: @hahadiyyah)
