MALI

by Pablo A. Tariman

 

a strain of Shostakovich

and you remember

a daughter and son in law

figuring out

what’s left of their

abridged  lives

behind bars

 

yes loved ones

come and go

like this elephant

which gave my grandson

a few moments

of awe and joy

the first time he set foot

in a zoo

 

the elephant named Mali

is gone too

like my grandson’s  childhood

now buried in images

of prison visits

and yearly funerals