October 30, 2023

An Apple and A Tomato

My sisters, I love them so much!
I was tiny, like a speck in their hands.
Those two 11- and 13-year-olds seemed
confident in describing the newborn in their arms.

‘Wow, she looks like an apple!’
‘No. She resembles a tomato!’
All this was due to my rosy little cheeks;
And these were the first thoughts
of my two amazing pseudo moms.

We grew up together; of course
fate made them older than me.
Maybe it was decided, that
a baby would have two guardian angels,
And when she was wise enough,
She would be their guardian angel.

This miniscule creature went
wherever it was taken, carried on their waist.
The joy when people adored me;
They thought of me as their young one.

They played with me, gave me piggybacks,
Bathed me, fed me, this list had no end.
I loved sleeping in the centre,
Where my one leg was on one of them,
And the other was pushed outside the sleeping mat.

Where poor miss got bitten,
By mosquitoes outside the sleeping net.
They loved me, even with all the mischiefs
I was not aware of, being a deep sleeper.
And our holidays were complete, only when they
were forced to play quizzes, my favourite.

I still remember the days
when one of them lifted me,
flipping me upside down.
I wish they still could, it was so fun.

Through all this, it was so hard
to see them cry, with all the sufferings.
They were, and still are, my true best friends.
And I can say to this day, that I still
haven’t found anyone like them.

To differentiate, although difficult,
My eldest sister is ‘Mi madre’
And my middle sister, ‘Ma mère’.
Both, part of my soul, inseparable.
They really never let me feel alone,
but waving adieu was so heartbreaking.

Time passed, they had to leave home.
The little bundle of joy they once saw,
Has now grown older; but it misses them
dearly, it feels like I have lost myself.

Those days are deeply yearned, even now.
They protected her, she was safe and loved,
just like when she went crying about something;
or when she came joyfully laughing,
And they celebrated and encouraged her.

I would not mind going back to day ‘one’,
As these pure souls were deciding if
I was an apple or a tomato.
I would not mind giving up my everything for them.
I know that they would still make me shine,
To make me succeed nonetheless.

Because to them, I was their brightest star,
the sweetest apple, and the most flavourful tomato.