Sunday, October 23, 2011

Lara Maldjian: For My Family

from "For My Family", a zine about being queer and Armenian

I do not see my language in letters.
Though it was my first,
my first thought
my first word
my first laugh
I never learned to write it down
it’s a love story that has never
corresponded with paper
until now.
When I speak,
the words come out letterless
but never shapeless.
I see
The curve of a hip
My mother’s hairclip
My sister’s lipstick
My grandmother’s hands
My father’s bright smile.


I was taught
only
to read
in
family.
***
I imagine brown limbs,
my legs wrapped around a pair of thighs that
understand my own,
know the history of my hips, speak the
language of my lips.
I imagine brown eyes,
With matted lashes,
Mouth thick, voice thick, hair thick,
Everywhere,
Making art on pillow cases,
Building nests,
Entangling.
I imagine our hearts tugging,
Our voices sharing space,
Making the same sounds
our fingers spelling the same words.
Imagine a hand,
large and strong at the base of my neck,
keeping me there,
and for one minute
I do not struggle.



Lara Maldjian

2 comments:

Mark Gavoor said...

Lara
Very nice. Well done.
I read it several times and enjoyed the ride as reflected through my own experiences and background.

Mark

Sar said...

Where can I get the zine?