Ancestors

By Meena Alexander

This article appeared in the October 13, 2003 edition of The Nation.

September 25, 2003

They are bicycling into the sun.
He has a dhoti on under his coat
and a briefcase with LYRIC
marked in big letters.

She has a sari in lime green
and socks and a backpack
that is filled with scraps
of torn silk

She drops a fan as she
races past the balustrade
into sky blue water.
The fan opens

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