Precious
– Moni Brar
she crackles
like fresh, sun-sparkled snow
flitting across countries
then continents
her mind and heart grow
wide and wise
as the Alberta sky
she comes with stories
and suitcases
and suitcases of stories
and a curiosity
for where she is now
what will be this story?
how will it be told?
she learns
and earns
and yearns
to find a place for her voice
her stories
and leaks love
everywhere she goes
happiest when she feels
between her toes
the cool
rich wool fibers
of a magic carpet
from the desert
she left long ago
she has mango-filled dreams
as the chinook lulls her to sleep
her body lengthens, contracts
as it remembers
heat so humid
thoughts would melt and pool
at her soft brown feet.
Moni Brar
Through poetry and creative non-fiction, I explore the intersection of race, culture and gender and its impact on belonging. My work has been published in two anthologies – This Place a Stranger: Canadian Women Travelling Alone and Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts (both by Caitlin Press).
